A New Edition
by iheartss
Summary: Sequel to Most Eligible Bachelor. Necessary to read first. SS, with a splash of RM. Seth and Summer are back together, but living on opposite sides of the country. Will their love last or fall apart under the pressure of the long distance relationship?
1. A MultiPhase Plan

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter One: A Multi-phase Plan**

Summer Roberts had had a long and miserable week at work. Well, sort of miserable. As miserable as anything Cosmo could be, which wasn't half bad. As the new assistant Style editor, she had a lot of responsibilities during New York's fashion week. Basically, any designer who was anyone was debuting their fall fashion lines to the public, and Summer had to make sure that there was a reporter covering each event, that they were given their identification and backstage passes, while attending each event herself to ensure the accuracy of the reporting.

Though the week had rewarded her with several one-of-a-kind designer pieces and major props from her editor-in-chief Charley, she wanted nothing more than to come home to her apartment, cuddle on the couch with Blanche for the weekend and watch cheesy 80s teen-angst movies.

As she ascended the stairs to her apartment, Summer inhaled the aroma of what she thought was…hmm, eggplant parmesan and realized how completely starved she felt. As she reached her apartment door, she rustled around in her red leather bag for her keys and fumbled with the lock until the door finally opened.

"Honey, I'm home," she said dryly, but smiled, as she entered the apartment and dropped her bags to scoop up her tiny white dog that, as always, was anxiously awaiting her arrival.

"It's about time," Seth said, as he appeared in the kitchen doorframe, holding two glasses of wine.

"Cohen," she almost whispered, as she met his dimply grin and practically tackled him into the kitchen.

"Whoa, simmer down, I'm here all week," he laughed as he put the glasses down before enveloping Summer into a warm embrace.

"All week?" she said, quizzically, still surprised that he was even in her apartment.

"Summer, I know it's been a month and a half since the talks of our multi-phase plan, but when I say multi-phase plan, I mean multi-phase plan," Seth joked, bending to catch her mouth for the first time.

She did remember their desperate talk that had occurred over a month ago at the entrance of JFK airport, but with the busyness that work had laid upon her in recent weeks, she had barely any time to pay tribute to her relationship with Seth. And no time at all to construct a "multi-phase plan," as Seth so loved to call it.

"Now, my dear," Seth said, breaking the kiss, "take these," he handed her the wine glasses, "and go sit at the dining room table and I'll have dinner out to you in," he glanced at his watch, "approximately three minutes."

Summer took the glasses, smiled at him, and shook her head, "Sometimes, you are too much, Cohen."

As the two sat eating dinner, they caught each other up on the day-to-day problems that work had left them both with, as they always did when they got together. Seth didn't have quite as intensive of a workload as Summer, but it had seemed that way, as he had written two issues of Atomic County in the last week so that he could take a week off to be with Summer.

As dinner wrapped up and Seth broke open their second bottle of wine, Summer decided she wanted the plan to be unveiled, so she brought it up to Seth.

"Well, Summer, Phase A, or is it 1? I haven't decided if we are going to be using letters or numbers for this plan—"

"Cohen?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Right, ok, so Phase A or 1, it's your preference, starts this week. I am going to see about the possibilities of moving O.S. to Manhattan. At the same time, it would be nice if you, my darling Summer, could look for a new place for us," Seth finished, looking up to meet a frowning Summer.

"It sounds ok, but why do we need a new place? I mean, this apartment is plenty big enough for the both of us, right?" she asked.

Seth looked around with a fearful look on his face. He wanted to say it in a way that wouldn't hurt Summer, but in a way that he was honest, so she could understand what he needed. "Ok, here's the thing: I take up a lot of room. I'm going to need an office that I can work in from home. If you don't want my playstation in the main family room, which I assume you won't, I would probably also need a small room for gaming."

Noticing Summer's frown, he went to kneel in front of her and took her hand. "Look, Sum, I love your place, I do, but I was kind of hoping we could get a brand new place to be our first place together." Summer slightly smiled, so he continued. "Money is not an object here, and I really want the best, not just for me, but more than anything, for you. Can you see where I'm coming from?" Seth asked, hopefully

Summer sat for a minute looking deep into his eyes, her eyebrows furrowed together in concentration. After a moment, her expression lightened to a smile and she spoke. "Our place?"

Seth couldn't help but smile, dimples and all. "Yeah, you know. I just want it to be, like, the material symbol of us getting back together and starting our new life together. I thought it would be, I don't know, sweet." Just as the last word escaped his lips, Summer covered his mouth with her own, and what started off as light, sweet kisses, quickly escalated until the two lay on the dining room floor, covered in sweat and naked.

Summer lazily ran her hands over Seth's bare chest and he drew the same lazy circles on her bare back. After almost an hour of laying naked in each other's arms, Seth asked, "So, ready to watch the Blade trilogy, Sum?"

Summer laughed. "It depends. If you're ready to watch the Molly Ringwald trilogy first, Cohen."

Seth sat for a minute, racking his brain. "What IS the Molly Ringwald trilogy?"

"Well, there's Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, and The Breakfast Club," Summer answered, matter-of-factly.

"I guess," Seth sighed, rising and covering himself with his boxers before offering Summer a hand to help her up.

The two took about a half an hour to clean up dinner and don their pajamas. Seth popped some popcorn and divided it into two bowls. He poured two Dr. Peppers into glasses and brought the tray of snacks into the sitting room. Summer sat, awaiting him on the leather couch, hair strewn messily about her head and lazy grin on her face.

Seth sat the tray down and sat next to Summer on the couch for a second, running his hand over her cheek. "I love you like this," he said softly. At Summer's quizzical expression he continued. "When you're just you, no makeup, no jillion dollar designer clothes, no hair style that takes longer than a full length feature film to perfect. You're just Summer, and you're the most stunningly beautiful woman that I have ever seen."

Summer smiled softly and then got a mischievous glint in her eyes. She raised her hand to touch Seth's cheek. "I love you like this, too." A beat. "Just the same cheesy Cohen."

Seth's mock hurt expression only caused Summer to erupt into peels of laughter, and he eventually couldn't hold it in any longer and joined her. After a moment, Seth rose, giving Summer a quick kiss, and put in Sixteen Candles, the first of the trilogy.

Before the movie started, Summer realized that she had only heard phase 1 (or A or whatever) of Cohen's master plan. "Cohen, what are the other phases of your plan?" she questioned, seeming slightly concerned.

"Well, Phase B—yes, I've decided to go with the letters—involves you applying for a transfer to Cosmo's west coast office," Summer slightly frowned, "but it's better than Phase C, because that's where we both move to Chicago, or the middle if you will, and look for new jobs," Summer frowned more at this suggestion, "and finally, I guess I would just have to sell my comic empire, and live here with you, if all else failed."

Summer's eyes went wide at Seth's last declaration. "You would actually do that?"

Seth nodded and took a sip of his Dr. Pepper before speaking, "Summer, I've made a complete ass of myself multiple times for you, taken a 16 hour round trip flight to spend 2 hours with you, sacrificed friends for you," Seth paused. "And however cheesy or not that this may sound, I would do it all again to be with you."

Summer gave Seth a long hard look followed by a long, slow, passionate kiss. She pulled back so that their foreheads touched, and she could feel his breath on her face. "I love you, Seth," she breathed.

"I love you, too, Summer," he said sincerely. As they realized the movie was about to start, they cuddled into their usual spooning position.

Right as the opening credits came on the screen, Summer offered a final thought. "Let's just hope that Phases A and B work, right Cohen?"

"Right," he whispered with wide eyes, as he kissed her hair and focused his gaze on the screen.

**Author's Note: So I know it's not much, but it's a start. For all of you who want Seth and Summer to be together perfectly right away, I think it does an injustice to the couple that is Sethummer to have it that way. We all know that they have had their issues, and I think, in writing this, it's important that they still have their issues, because it's what makes them so fun to watch. I hate to say it, but this will be one of those stories that takes a long while for Seth and Summer to have their perfect happy ending. As always though, please review, let me know what you think. Peace.**


	2. The Hunt

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter Two: The Hunt**

After spending the weekend together holed up in Summer's bachelorette pad, Seth and Summer woke up early Monday morning and were going to spend the day separately, hunting for a potential office for O.S. Comics and a new loft for them to start their life together.

Summer had heard of a new building just down Fifth from the Cosmo headquarters, so she called her realtor and arranged a showing for her lunch break.

The realtor first showed her one of the regular sized lofts in the building, which Summer was not impressed by. When the woman realized, however, that price was no issue, she offered to show Summer the penthouse suite.

When the elevator doors opened to the penthouse, Summer sucked in a breath in awe at how perfect it would be for Seth, her, and their new beginning.

The antique looking arch ceilings and wooden floors were in great condition and added character to the place. The walls were covered in windows that overlooked Fifth Avenue, which Summer thought was beautiful at night.

As Summer walked down the hall, she started imagining Seth and her occupying the place. The first small room on the right could be Seth's "gaming" suite. The room immediately next door would be perfect for his office.

Likewise, on the left side of the hall, there was a perfect sized room with a huge bay window for her office. And the apartment's smallest room would be just right for Blanche and Rooney, and maybe even their first little Cohen.

The master bedroom was gorgeous. An original chandelier still hung over the place where the bed would most likely go. Across from the bed was a beautiful brick fireplace. Summer fantasized about cuddling up with Seth and their pets and their children, having family nights and just being with the love of her life in the room.

She started thinking about Seth living in New York as the realtor led her back into the great room. He'd always been an East Coast soul, but he stayed in California with his business and seemed very happy there. She didn't want to make any decisions for Seth, but he had said that he would do anything for her and anything to be with her.

Without thinking for a second longer or over-analyzing the decision, she turned to the realtor and smiled. "I think we'll take it," she said, letting out her breath and taking one final look around.

Meanwhile, Seth had spent the morning looking on the internet and through the last month's worth of New York Times and Posts, highlighting as many office building leasings as he could. After visiting the fifth building and not finding any he felt suitable for his company, his cell phone rang, and the caller id identified the caller as Owen, his company's vice president.

"Hey man, what's up?" Seth greeted. Owen, whom he hired just 6 months prior after a blowout between him and Anna, had become one of Seth's best friends over the short time that he worked at O.S.

"Yo, Seth," Owen replied, "You will not believe what is up when I tell you."

Seth sighed. Since he had started his company after art school, he had not left it for more than a few days, and he had a bad feeling that leaving it would mean trouble. "What is it?" he asked expecting the worse.

"Oh, no, dude, it's not bad, don't worry. This morning we received a call from Fox TV studio. They want us for a meeting on Wednesday to talk about the prospect of making Atomic County a TV show," his friend answered, barely able to contain his childlike excitement.

After a few seconds of silence, Owen grew concerned. After all, anyone who knew Seth knew that he barely took breaths between sentences, much less held his tongue for over a minute. "You there, Seth?"

"Yeah, yeah," Seth said. Pause. "Are you serious, though?" he said, still unbelieving.

"Yeah, honest to God, or Jesus, or Moses or whatever. Beverly sent me the call this morning and said it was a guy from Fox, the name was Williams, so I took it since you were unavailable. He sounded semi-urgent, I guess with the newest comic movie surge they're thinking of bringing it back to TV, too."

"Wow, that's unbelievable, man. But you know I'm out here all week. Why Wednesday for the meeting?"

"Like I said, he seemed urgent. I told him you were visiting your fiancée, but he wanted me to call and ask. I don't want you to leave Summer or anything, but this is HUGE for us."

"Yeah, yeah, I understand that," Seth nodded into the phone. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Oh man, Summer's going to kill me. I mean, REALLY kill me."

"So you're coming!" Owen practically squealed.

"I think I'm coming," he replied, letting himself smile about the news for the first time. "But I better go, buddy. I'm going to have a long day of apologizing and groveling to do if I don't want Summer to hate me over this. I'll plan on coming in sometime tomorrow so we can prepare some things."

"Sounds good, man. I can't believe this!" the younger guy exclaimed. "But seriously, good luck with Summer. It'll be ok. She knows you love her."

"Let's hope so," Seth sighed as he clicked his phone shut and headed to the corner flower shop, dreading the trip back to Summer's place.

**A/N: This chapterpretty freaking bad. I'm sorry guys. I know it wasn't my greatest effort by any means, but I needed to start developing the drama. For those of you who said the story seemed pretty happy in the first chapter: Sorry, but you were forewarned that it wouldn't last long. Please keep reading despite the sucky chapter, and I promise to have it updated before the weekend. Review—but not too harsh please. Peace.**


	3. The Halt

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter Three: The Halt**

Summer was slaving over the stove, preparing Seth's favorite Mexican dish and chocolate cake when she heard the door open and shut. After stirring her sauce and turning down the temperature on the stove, she proceeded towards the entry way to greet Seth.

"Hey Cohen," she said, wrapping her arms around his back, which was towards her, and kissing the back of his neck.

"Summer," Seth replied, nervousness evident in his tone as he turned and gave her a forced smile, before offering out the white lilies he had picked up at the corner stand.

Summer let her hands drop to her sides and eyed the flowers suspiciously. Seth stood in front of her, refusing to make eye contact and waiting for her to accept the flowers. Finally, she snatched the flowers out of his hand and started walking back toward the kitchen.

"Thanks for the flowers," she yelled back over her shoulder.

Seth let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and mumbled a "welcome," before quickly heading towards the bedroom.

Once there, he shed his blazer, and slowly paced the room, trying to figure out the best way possible to break the news to Summer. Unbeknownst to Seth, Summer stood, observing him from the door frame, becoming more suspicious by the second.

"So, Cohen, what's going on?" Summer said, breaking the silence and causing Seth to jump back.

"Jeez, Summer, you scared me," he said. He crossed to sit on the bed and directed his gaze towards the floor. "And what do you mean what's going on?"

"Well, for one, you haven't made eye contact with me since you came home, which almost instantly tipped me off, and two, you've almost never bought me flowers, unless you were apologizing for something. And if those weren't signs that something is wrong, then you walking straight to your room without nearly a word to me was the final tipper—I mean, come on, Cohen, you always have something to say." Summer finished and took a seat next to him on the bed. She softly grabbed him by the chin and turned his face until he met her gaze. "Talk to me."

Seth met her gaze and almost instantly had to avert his eyes. He knew she would kill him for this and that her heart would be broken when he told her he had to leave, but he felt that it was what his company needed to progress forward.

After taking a deep breath, Seth brought his eyes back to Summer's, which were now full of worry. He took her hand in his and began, "I know you're going to be upset with me for this, but I need to get back to L.A. tomorrow to prepare for some meetings that will take place on Wednesday. Owen called me today and apparently Fox is interested in turning Atomic into a TV show, so they wanted to meet with me as soon as possible."

As Seth finished, he focused on Summer's reaction. Since he said he had to leave, she had moved her gaze towards the floor and hadn't looked up. He grew worried and was getting ready to speak again, when Summer suddenly ripped her hand out of his and rose from the bed.

"Ok, Cohen. See ya when I see ya," she said, storming out of the room and slamming the door.

Seth sat for a minute with his head in his hands trying to figure out how to fix this. After a few minutes, he realized that he better say something before Summer started breaking things in the kitchen.

When he got to the kitchen doorway, he saw Summer in a way he had never seen her before. She was throwing away all of the food that she had prepared and physically chucking the pots and pans into the sink. When she finished with the food, she took the flowers Seth had brought home and stuck them down the garbage disposal, reminding Seth of his mother on the sad Valentine's Day.

Once the flowers were completely shredded, Summer braced herself with both arms against the counter and Seth knew that she was crying. He slowly crossed to where she stood and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Summer—" he started.

"Cohen, get the FUCK away from me," Summer said, pushing him away and practically running to the bedroom and slamming the door.

Seth raised his hands to the ceiling and let out a loud grunt of frustration before following after her. "Summer, let me in, please. You're being completely unreasonable right now," he pleaded through the closed door.

Seth leant with his head against the door and almost fell on his face when it suddenly flew open. "How the fuck can you tell me that I'M being unreasonable? You came here two days ago, rambling on about how you wanted to try to make this work for us, and now look at you! You're all ready to leave. You might as well hire a yacht and run away on a little BITCH boat again!" She screamed before slamming the door back in his face.

Seth took a deep breath before entering the room after her. The sight he saw when he entered the room literally scared him. Summer was sobbing as she took all of his clothes and all of the mementos she had of him and violently stuffed them into his suitcase. Despite his fear of what she might do, he walked up behind her and grabbed her around the waist. "Summer," he said softly, "please sit down and talk to me."

They stood for what seemed like an eternity in the same position, until Seth finally let out a sigh of relief when she relaxed into his arms. He took her hands and led her to the bed. He sat down and positioned her so she was facing him. Keeping a hold on her hands he began to speak. "Baby, you know that this is a huge opportunity for me—no, for us. Everything I do in my work, I do with the intent of someday, hopefully, soon, giving you the world. Can you please understand that?" Seth tried to catch her gaze, but she stubbornly kept it firmly planted on the floor.

They sat in silence for the next ten minutes, Seth in fear of what her response may be, and Summer taking the time to rebuild all of the walls around her heart.

Turning on her coldest, most stony expression, Summer finally raised her head and met his eyes. "Seth, I want you to leave and I want you to have this," she said, taking her ring off and pressing it into his hand, "And please don't come back until-" she paused. "Actually, I don't know when you should come back." And with that, she rose from the bed to leave the room. As she reached the doorframe, she turned. "And don't expect me to wait forever," she said, reminding Seth of words he had said to her when they first broke up in college.

Seth sat with his mind reeling. For the first time in his life, or so it felt, he was rendered completely speechless, and even thoughtless for that matter. Summer had just broken up with him, which, unfortunately, was nothing new, but at this stage in his life, he thought it may be for good.

While Seth sat in the bedroom, trying to figure out what to do or say, Summer had sat herself down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, just trying to bring her breathing back to normal. As much as she knew that Seth had changed and what he was doing with his company was for the best, she still felt completely and utterly used and heartbroken. She didn't want to break up with Seth, really, but when he told her he was leaving, she had instantly reverted back to her old ways as all of her terrible memories came rushing back. All her heart wanted was for Seth to come hold her and say that he was kidding and that of course he wanted to stay, but she knew that her mind and her past would not let that happen for a long time.

After about 30 minutes, Seth finally came out of the bedroom. He found Summer sitting with Blanche on the couch, watching old reruns of the Valley. He stood staring at her, willing her to turn around, but she kept her gaze stubbornly fixated on Grady Bridges. "Well, Sum, I guess this is goodbye for now," he whispered. "I love you. I'll call you when I get home."

Gathering up all the hurt and pain she had inside of her, Summer turned and simply and coldly breathed, "Don't bother, Seth," before turning her attention back to the T.V.

Seth dropped his head, let out a breath, and went towards the front door. Before opening the door, he took her ring out of his pocket and set it on the table. With one last look, he opened the door and left.

**A/N: Yeah, so that was happy…right. Anyway, I know it was a long time coming guys, and I'm grateful for the continual support. Please try to understand, I have temporarily relocated from home in the states to home in Dublin, Ireland. So I know it's frustrating, but updates will probably be taking a lot longer these days. I hope you enjoyed it…I guess that's the right word. Like I said, it's a little shitty, but I had to give you something to go by. I've decided the story is going to progress a lot quicker now, so next chapter, we'll probably find our characters reunited 2 months later at Newport Chrismukkah. (I know chronologically, this might not follow, but whatev. Bear with me.) Anyway, review…don't flame me 0) Love you guys!**


	4. The Morning After

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 4: The Morning After**

The next morning, Summer woke up to the shrill sound of her phone ringing at 10 am. She had called Charley the night before to request a personal day, with the promise she would be willing to make up the hours the following night. Despite Charley's best attempts at finding out why the workaholic Summer was insisting on not coming in to work, Summer decided it was for the best that she not reveal her break up with Seth just yet.

Summer rolled over in bed and answered the phone. "Hello?" she said sleepily.

"Summer, it's me," the voice on the other end said simply.

"Hey Coop. What's up?" she replied nonchalantly, instantly realizing that Marissa must know, because Cohen wouldn't keep anything so epic from Ryan for more than a couple of hours.

"Nothing here. But how are you?" the blonde asked in a sympathetic, yet pointed tone.

"I don't know," Summer sighed into the phone while pulling herself up and walking to the window. "It's just getting hard. I can't see him making a real effort anymore, and I can't wait forever," she paused. "Have you seen him yet?"

"Yeah," Marissa replied. "Ryan picked him up from the airport and when they came back here, they locked themselves in the den. I heard some crying from Seth, there might have been drinking involved, too, and when Ryan came to bed he just said it was not looking good."

Summer sat in silence for minute. She couldn't help but feel responsible for Seth's sadness, but at the same time, she didn't want to let herself feel too much. After a minute, she took a breath and decided to change the topic.

"So, how are the wedding plans going without me?" she asked, trying to sound a bit cheerier.

Realizing it was now a moot point, Marissa decided to go along with Summer. "It's ok. I mean, we have the location nailed down for New Year's Eve, all of the flowers ordered, all of the tuxes rented, all of the dresses bought, and the rest is just little stuff that we need to do over the next three months."

"Oh, Coop, I'm so excited for you. You're lucky to have Ryan. I mean, in light of everything you two have faced together, you're just so lucky that you still have that passion and love to hold you together," Summer said wistfully.

"Sum, you could still have that, too, ya know. I don't exactly know what happened this time, but I know without a doubt that Seth loves you more than anything else in the world, and that he'd be willing to do anything to be with you."

"Coop, not to be a bitch, but if he would do anything, he would still be here right now," Summer replied in a harsh tone.

Marissa sighed on the other end. "Well, have you figured out when and how long you'll be able to come into town for the wedding? You know I want you here every step of the way."

Summer felt guilty for taking out her frustrations directed towards Cohen out on Marissa. "I want to be there, too, Coop. I have enough vacation time for a three month stay, but I booked my flight for December 18, a week before Christmas, so that will give us time to Christmas shop together and do all of the last minute stuff," she said in a softer tone.

"Have you thought about a bachelorette party yet?" Marissa questioned.

"Oh, girl. Let's just say, you better get ready to party like the Coop who used to stash a flask in her purse." The two shared a laugh at this comment.

"Well, Sum, have a good day and take it easy. I'm sorry if I upset you earlier."

"No, it's fine, Coop. I think I'm just ready to be over with it and left back to having only my work to concentrate on. Oh, and your bachelorette plans," she added, trying to make light of the heavy topic her best friend was trying to delve back into. "I'll talk to you soon."

"Yeah, bye, Sum," Marissa ended before flicking her cell phone shut.

She looked across the table and met the eyes of a very disheveled and hung over Seth, who was waiting expectantly for some news about Summer. Marissa put on a soft smile, trying to give Seth a bit of hope. "I think she just needs some time, Seth."

He quietly nodded before looking up to meet her eyes again. "What did she really say, Marissa?"

The blonde's expression dropped a bit as she thought about what to tell her desperate friend. "She's doing that thing. Where she closes up and closes everything out. I mean, I don't know what to say about it."

"I'm not gonna have a chance then. I mean, I've been there before, something I unfortunately remember all too well, and when Summer starts to build those walls, they are not going to come down until she wants them to. And if your facial expressions during the conversation said anything, they told me that Summer does not want those walls to come down for a long time," Seth said, looking down with sorrow evident on all of his features. Letting out a deep breath, he finally rose and went to grab his briefcase.

"Sorry to bother you all morning. It's just crazy. I mean, one day I have a fiancé and a chance to have Atomic turned into a T.V. show and I feel on top of the world. The next day, I have no fiancé, I have to go to this WONDERFUL meeting now completely hung over and it's safe to say I'm no longer feeling on top of the world. It better be the best fucking meeting of my life," he stated cynically.

"Seth," Marissa said, rising to give him a hug, "I know we haven't always been the best of friends, but Summer and I have. And if I know her, she won't be able to hold out on you too long. Getting engaged to you was the best thing that ever happened to her and it showed that she believed it, too. Don't give up too easily. That's not like you, Coffee Cart boy."

Seth gave a small smile, said a quick 'thanks,' and took off out the door for his meeting with Fox.

**A/N: So I decided to do this segway chapter for a couple of reasons. One, I thought it would be cool to show the next day just to show that there was some contact between both parties during the three months before Chrismukkah. Two, I needed to remind myself and the readers that this story, like Bachelor, does feature characters besides Seth and Summer. And it is important that Ryan and Marissa are getting married because of that whole Seth as Best Man, Summer as Maid of Honor dynamic that we're all too familiar with. I don't want this to progress into a really typical story. It's been disturbing me lately, because as I read other SS fic, I've noticed a ton of "Summer working in magazine journalism" "Seth owning Comic book company" and I don't love it, because I feel like I'm just doing the same. It might take a while to pump out these next few, because I'm going on the whole angle of originality. I'm sure you guys will be understanding to that, too. Anyway, I apologize for this ramble of a note, but I hope you kind of enjoyed this one. It's nothing too grand, but it's an ok segway…right. So review and the like. I would love extra intense criticism, praise…whatever it is you want to do. Thanks for reading. Cheers.**


	5. The Arrival

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 5: The Arrival**

It had been roughly three months since the untimely break-off of the engagement of Seth and Summer. Summer, true to her ways, threw herself back into her work at Cosmo immediately following the break-up, and despite Charley's continual prying and pushing for Summer to talk about Seth, Summer had managed to block out most of her thoughts about him and had reconstructed the familiar wall around her heart. She had been on a few dates since that fateful day three months earlier, but nothing stuck, and in honesty she didn't want it to. She just wasn't at all prepared to see him again in Newport.

Seth had also become a workaholic, especially since the great meeting he had with Fox about turning Atomic County into a TV show. He had been collaborating with the network over the last month and had even managed to produce the first few scripts. He had even helped in casting the majority of the roles—not surprisingly taking the longest on a certain Little Miss. He hated the auditions for the Vixen character, mainly because none of the young Hollywood actresses that had showed up could hold a candle to the character's namesake.

It was December 18 now, and as promised, Summer was at John Wayne Airport at 12:30 PM, searching the crowd for her best friend. When the two girls saw each other, they freaked out, as it had been nearly 7 months since they were last together in Newport.

"Oh my God! COOP!" Summer shrieked, throwing her arms around her best friend's neck. "I can't believe you're getting married!"

Returning the hug, Marissa pulled back. "I know. This is insane. But I am so glad you are finally here. Kirsten has been great, my mom annoying, Seth and Ryan, completely unhelpful. It's just perfect that you're here," she finished, noting Summer's shudder at the mention of her soon-to-be brother-in-law.

"How is he?" Summer said softly, looking at her shoes as they walked towards the baggage carousel.

Marissa hesitated. "Well, you'll find out soon enough."

The brunette's head shot up quickly and she glanced sideways at her friend. "What do you mean, Coop?"

"Well, IkindoftoldtheCohenswewouldallgettogetherforlunchtodaytocelebrateyourarrival," she mumbled, blending all of the words together and praying Summer wasn't paying attention.

"YOU WHAT?! Marissa! I've been in Orange County for all of" she glanced at her watch "20 minutes, and you are already forcing me to face the ex!"

Marissa put her arm around Summer's shoulder. "I know, I'm sorry, but Kirsten really wanted it and you know Kirsten and I couldn't say no and…" she trailed off.

Summer let out a deep sigh. "This is going to be a looooong trip."

Summer and Marissa arrived around 2 at the Cohen's McMansion. When they got there, they were greeted by Kirsten, Sandy and Ryan. While Summer was expecting nothing less than awkwardness, the Cohen's were surprisingly just as warm to her as ever.

"How are you, Summer?" Kirsten said, crossing to hug her ex-future daughter-in-law.

"Pretty great," the younger woman replied, returning the embrace. "It's good to be back home for Christmas and the big wedding." She smiled at Marissa and Ryan who were already connected in an embrace and so into each other that they didn't notice anything else around them.

"How are you, Mr. and Mrs. C?" she asked, using the same endearments she had in high school.

"A little stressed about the wedding, but everything is pretty good around here," Kirsten answered on their behalf.

"Hey, why don't we take this party into the dining room?" Sandy suggested, waiting for the others to follow.

Kirsten busied herself by going into the kitchen and making the last minute preparations on lunch. Summer followed her and began assisting by getting plates and silverware from the proper cabinets and drawers that she remembered. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly, as Sandy and the soon-to-be newlyweds sat chatting at the kitchen table and Summer and Kirsten chatted while preparing lunch. That is until…

Seth came rushing into the kitchen and plopped his briefcase down, mumbling his apologies for being late and kissing his mom, not noticing that Summer was standing about 10 feet away. "Sorry, Mom, we got a little tied up in casting today, but luckily, I think we are finished."

"That's great, honey," Kirsten said, giving him a semi-pensive look as she was waiting for him to notice…

"Summer," Seth breathed, locking eyes with her over his mom's shoulder.

"Hey Cohen," she said, offering a half-hearted wave but keeping her eyes locked with his. They stayed locked in their intense gaze, each trying to read the other and each with so many unspoken questions in their eyes that the other seemed to be desperately searching for answers to.

Kirsten, Sandy, Ryan and Marissa all exchanged knowing glances and remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. Being unable to take the awkwardness any longer and being the dominant carrier of the "how to ruin a moment" gene, Sandy clapped his hands together loudly and exclaimed, "Let's eat!"

Seth quickly shook his head and went to take his seat next to Ryan, while Summer carried plates to the table and passed them around before sitting down across from Seth, next to Kirsten.

The first few minutes of lunch proceeded quite awkwardly, as everyone quietly exchanged glances, daring each other to speak, except for Ryan and Marissa, who quietly whispered sickeningly sweet nothings to each other.

Kirsten, uncharacteristically, broke the silence by asking Seth about how the TV show was going.

Seth sat for a minute, and seemed to be thinking of a way to phrase his answer, but finally spoke. "Well, we've had all of the other characters cast for a while except, well, ya know, um Li…except for—"

"Little Miss Vixen?" Ryan offered, shooting a sarcastic smirk to his brother.

Answering back with a death glare of his own, Seth continued. "Right, Ryan. Thanks, bro. Anyway, yeah, except for her. You see, all of these girls kept coming in and auditioning, but they were too sweet, they didn't have that real…ya know, that ability to be a total bitch and a total ice queen," Seth looked at Summer, who glared back at him, before finishing, "But yeah, we found the perfect girl today, so we're set to begin shooting in January."

Realizing that there was some obvious tension in the room, Kirsten decided to change the topic quickly. "So, Summer, how's Cosmo?"

Summer smiled, almost thanking Kirsten for helping relieve the tension. "Oh, you know, Cosmo's Cosmo. It's been going really well though. I've been working so hard to make some changes in the section and the reader feedback has been really positive. I think I'm looking at another promotion soon enough, which will be amazing. I think they see that I'm really committed to it, and I really love my work."

Seth scoffed at Summer's answer. "Do you have something to say, Cohen?" Summer asked, coolly.

"Oh, no, not really. I just never thought that you, commitment and love were three words that went together, but I suppose you could have changed since we've last spoken," he replied, just as coolly back.

"Hey guys, let's be civilized today," Sandy said, trying to lighten the mood. But Summer wasn't letting it slide.

"I'm sorry, Mr. C, but I'd like to say something to Seth if that's ok." Everyone looked at Sandy, waiting for his permission and pleading that he not let this escalate.

"Well, if the woman wants to speak," he shrugged, earning a kick under the table from his wife.

"Thank you. So Cohen, sorry that I don't resort to the childish tactics that you've employed to try to make yourself feel a little better about the situation at hand, but let's not forget who broke the commitment, who left New York when they said they'd be there for a week after two days, who vowed to try to make our relationship work but walked out at a crucial time, not to mention who had the balls to choose a TV show over his fiancé!" Summer breathed, attempting to maintain the low voice she was speaking in. "Now, I don't care how hung up you are or whatever, because really, when it comes down to it, you made the choices you made and that's why you're alone, so don't place the blame on me, when we all know who is at fault!" She finished, throwing her napkin on to the table and storming out of the kitchen.

Seth sat open-mouthed for a minute staring at the seat Summer just vacated and when he looked up, he was greeted by the glares of his entire family. "Was it something I said?" he laughed, only to earn a slap upside the head by Marissa who went to follow Summer.

"Wait," Seth said, causing Marissa to turn and glare at him with her arms crossed over her chest. "Let me," he said more softly. Marissa contemplated for a moment, looked at Ryan, who shrugged and moved back towards the table.

"Don't fuck it up," she whispered to Seth before taking her seat.

**A/N: Sorry, guys. Pretty lame, I know. I've got to find my groove again. I'll try to make the confrontation between them better in the next chapter. Tell me what you guys want to see though…I'll try to incorporate some of your ideas. R/R. Peace.**


	6. Attempted Reconnection

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 6: Attempted Reconnection**

After looking through all of the rooms on the first floor, the backyard, and even the front yard, Seth sighed and rubbed his hands over his face as he stood at the bottom of the staircase, looking upwards. In honesty, he knew where Summer had been all along, but he didn't really know if he could handle facing her in that…sacred space.

As Seth took the first few steps, he tried to think about what he wanted to say. He hadn't meant the things he said to Summer, he was just bitter, confused, and broken-hearted, to say the least. Not to mention the fact that he was going to have to chew out some or all members of his family for the nice little lunch "surprise". As he reached the door to his childhood room, he opened it and hesitated before going in.

"Not now, Coop, please," Summer mumbled, as her face was muffled due to her facedown position on Seth's bed.

"I'm not Coop," Seth started, "And I should have known that I couldn't keep you out of my bed for more than the first few hours of your trip."

Noticing the voice of Seth, Summer quickly shot up to her feet and moved towards the door. "Don't flatter yourself, Cohen," she said, rolling her eyes and moving to leave, only to be blocked by Seth. After dancing around the room in an attempt to get around her lanky ex, Summer finally let out a loud "Grrr. Let me go, SETH!"

Seth crossed his arms in front of his chest and shook his head. "Sit down, Summer." After her lack of movement, he decided to take a new approach and soften his tone. "Let's talk," he said quietly before taking her protesting hand and leading her to the bed.

After a few minutes of silence between the two, who had equally intense thoughts coursing through their minds, Summer broke the silence. "Captain Oats isn't here."

Seth smiled a little at this. "I know. He was really upset, but he had to make the move to L.A. with me. I drug him kicking and screaming out of here, but I have to say, I can't live without that little guy."

Summer smiled slightly at Seth's relationship with his plastic friend, but her face quickly turned serious when she made eye contact with Seth. They sat staring into one another's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, trying to read what the other was feeling, until Seth decided to make his move. He brought his right hand up to caress Summer's cheek and pulled her to him for a deep kiss. Summer, who was initially shocked, leaned into Seth, letting her hands run their natural course up to the back of his curly hair. Their make out continued for about 2 minutes, before Seth moaned into the kiss, causing Summer to rip herself away from him and cross the room, falling into Seth's computer chair and putting her face in her hands.

"You just kissed me, Cohen! What the fuck!?" she yelled.

"Yes, Summer, I did, and as I recall, you kissed me back, and, and even, dare I say, enjoyed it?"

"No, no, no, Cohen," Summer said, standing and pacing, "I didn't mean to do that. And I don't want to do it again. I mean, I'm supposed to hate you. I was just caught up in the moment, and you mentioned Oats, and you LEFT me. AGAIN, and"

"Oh, no you don't, Summer," Seth cut in, rising to stand. "You totally kissed me back, and you, if I do remember clearly, took that ring off. I mean, sure, I physically left, to return home to a meeting, for something that could change the future of my company, so YOU can have a good life…with ME, but"

"Cohen. I don't care what you say about wanting the TV show for our future. You left me for a fucking MEETING! That's inexcusable. You have no RIGHT to kiss me after all you've put me through. I mean, as if high school wasn't enough, with Anna and your little trip and the comic and the lies, but then there was college and"

"Hell no, Summer," Seth yelled, growing angrier by the second, "Don't even bring up college, because that was all YOU! You left me because I was getting caught up in school"

"With another girl!" she interjected.

"Who was my PARTNER on a PROJECT! And now that you bring up high school, let's talk about what went wrong that wasn't my fault. Hmm, the kissing booth, almost breaking up with me to save your precious reputation, ZACH, for fuck's sake! And let's not even mention your dad. You act like everything that's ever happened in this relationship is my fault!"

Summer sighed and sat on the bed, letting Seth win that round. "You're right, Seth, all of that was my fault. We've both obviously had our faults in this relationship. Which is why I ended it. We don't work. I mean, have we ever really worked? Have we ever gone more than a few months without something getting in the way of our relationship?" she said softly, meeting his eyes.

Seth took a seat next to Summer and reached for her hand, which she let him hold limply. "Summer, I know that we've had problems. A LOT, even. But I'd rather be miserable with you than miserable without you."

Summer's eyes shot up. "Is that supposed to make me jump your bones, Cohen? That didn't really seem like a compliment."

"You know how I am, I'm Seth Cohen, I mean, I've…I've never really been the most eloquent with words, well, at least that's what they tell me. I'm not sure I actually buy into that log-"

"Be quiet, Seth," Summer said sadly.

"Summer," he whispered, turning serious again, "Please, just, be with me! All I want is YOU. I don't know how to prove that to you, and I know I've, I've messed up with you more than anyone, but," he moved his hand to her chin and raised her face to meet his eyes, "but I can't be without you. I'm a mess, I tried that for a few years. And, you did too from what I remember. We're better together, somehow. Just give me another shot."

Summer held Seth's gaze, considering his last words, and before she could respond his mouth was on hers again. This time, she was quicker to react, pushing Seth firmly in the chest and rising from the bed.

"Like you haven't already had a MILLION shots, Cohen, right?" she said angrily.

Seth rose and anger flashed in his eyes. "Why are you being such a BITCH, Summer?"

Summer's head quickly turned to face Seth and shock covered her face. "What did you just call me, assface?!"

"Oh, I think you heard me, Summer," Seth said, remaining confident and taking a step towards her.

"Do you think that that's the way to make your case?!" she yelled back, moving towards him herself.

"I don't know, Summer, I, I mean, I know how much you value honesty, so I just thought I was giving you the truth," he answered with a cocky smirk.

Before either one knew what happened, Summer smacked Seth across the face, much to the surprise of them both. They both stood their breathing heavily and glaring at each other, unsure of what to do. In what seemed like an instant, Seth's mouth was, again, locked on Summer's, only this time, the kisses came more rushed and urgent. Summer didn't protest this time. She made quick work of ripping Seth's shirt over his head, while he worked on her blouse.

"You're so hot when you're angry," Seth breathed into their kiss.

"Shut up, Cohen," Summer replied, pushing him back onto the bed and falling on top of him.

**A/N Thanks for reading. I always like the fight followed by sex. But don't think that this is make-up sex by any means. There is much more to come. Sorry it's been awhile. I'm in the middle of a study abroad right now. I just got inspired because I can no longer watch the O.C. on youtube. (They took it down). If anyone knows how to get the newest episodes off of the internet (in Europe), please lemme know. This was a quicky, so I hope there aren't too many errors. Oh, yeah. And review please 0)**


	7. Awkward

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 7: Awkward **

The other Cohens and Marissa and Ryan tried to maintain a normal lunch over the angry screams of Seth and Summer. After the fighting appeared to have ceased and lunch was finished, Marissa decided that she wanted to go check on her best friend. "No offense, because he's your son and brother, but I'm not really sure that Seth can defend himself against a Roberts rage blackout. And there's silence, which means he may be on the floor in severe pain," she said before rising from the table.

"Right, well, we'll just clean up here, yes, honey?" Sandy said, squeezing Kirsten's hand. Kirsten gave him a small glare, still angry at him for egging the conversation between Seth and Summer on, before rising and clearing plates from the table.

Ryan sat awkwardly for a moment before speaking. "I guess I'll go to the pool house and…brood. I haven't had a good session in quite some time."

Sandy nodded and smirked at Ryan, before getting up to help his wife.

Upstairs, Summer and Seth had just finished a very angry and passionate sack session and were quickly rising and putting on clothes. No words had yet been exchanged, and neither really knew where said sex had left them, but they were both just letting the afterglow settle in when a knock came on the door.

"Sum, are you ok? Did you kill him?" Marissa said before entering the room to be met with the visual of Seth putting his pants on and Summer standing in her bra and underwear. "Oh…my…God," she said slowly before covering her eyes.

"Coop! It's not what it looks like, really. I just wanted to take a nap, and, and I asked Seth to join me and," Summer looked to Seth nervously, pleading for some help.

"And yeah, so I joined her. And we were naked, because it's hot?" Seth added, earning himself a glare from Summer.

"Right," Marissa smirked, eyeing them with a look that said "you are both so full of shit."

"Anyway, yeah, Coop, are you ready to go to your place now? I mean, is that where I'm staying or?" Summer asked

"Yeah, of course, I mean, if you're done with your 'nap'," she replied, amusement evident in her tone. When Summer leveled her with a glare, she quickly covered, "I mean, yes. Let's go, Summer." Marissa turned back towards the door and left. As

As Summer was just finishing dressing and smoothing out her hair, she moved to follow her best friend. As she walked by, Seth grabbed her arm. "Hey, not so fast. Where does this leave us?"

Summer kept her gaze on the floor, thinking, before turning and meeting Seth's gaze. "Nowhere, Seth," Summer said, coldly, causing him to shudder at the use of his first name. "We were fighting, it got hot, we had sex. That doesn't mean we're suddenly re-engaged or whatever. But I suppose we can remain civil for the holidays and the upcoming nuptials of our best friends or siblings or whatever."

Seth nodded and pulled his lips into a line. "Right. Well, thanks. For everything."

"Bye, Seth," she said quietly before turning to leave. As she descended the stairs, Summer felt a real sadness coming up in her throat and threatening to run down her face. She quickly shook her head and let out a deep breath before reentering the kitchen to find Kirsten, Sandy, Marissa, and Ryan entering from the pool house.

"Well, did you guys work everything out?" Sandy said, earning surprised looks from everyone else in the room.

"I think it'll be fine. I mean, we're not back together if that's what you're asking," Summer said, softly, "But we've decided to refrain from anymore embarrassing fights."

Kirsten, a little upset by the news, offered Summer a soft smile. "Well, that's great, sweetie. I know it must be hard."

Seth entered to see his mom consoling his ex. His mind was reeling from his conversation with Summer. He couldn't help but feeling like their relationship was over for good this time, but he couldn't let that keep him from keeping his promise to Summer that they would remain civil during the next month. "Hey, I'm glad you guys didn't leave yet. I almost forgot. We're having a party tonight in L.A. for the cast of the show since we finally have it nailed down. It's going to be at that Hyde place, or whatever. You're all invited. You, too, mom and dad."

"Well, that's great, honey," Kirsten said, moving towards her son and hugging him. "I don't think your father and I are quite hip enough, but it sounds rad for you guys."

"Mom," Seth started.

"Right," she said, just earning a smirk from Sandy.

"Well, that sounds really cool, Seth," Summer said, attempting enthusiasm, "Right, guys?" she said, turning to Ryan and Marissa.

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, man, great."

"Sounds cool, Cohen," Marissa said, Seth not missing that Summer had called him Seth and Marissa called him Cohen. He guessed he would just have to get used to it.

"Well, cool. Then I'll put you down on the guest list. It should get going around 10," he said, clapping his hands together. "And, I guess if you guys want, you can crash at my place. I mean, it would save you a ride back to Newport at like 4 am," he offered.

"Sure, man, sounds great," Ryan said, trying to relieve some of the obvious tension his brother was feeling.

"Right, well, we should go," Marissa said, making her rounds to hug Kirsten, Sandy, and Seth.

"Thank you so much for lunch, Mr. and Mrs. C. And again I'm sorry for acting like I'm 17," she laughed, giving them each a warm hug and then moving towards Seth. Everyone noticed the awkwardness as they swayed from left to right, looking like they'd never been hugged in their lives.

"Ok, well, yeah, bye," Seth said. "Remember, 10 o'clock. You can park at my place and walk down."

When the three friends had left the Cohen house, Seth let out a loud sigh and laid his hands on the counter. "Well, I'm glad that wasn't awkward," he deadpanned, looking up to be met by the smirks of his parents. "Yeah, thanks for your support," he shot over his shoulder as he took his briefcase and keys and walked towards the front door.

**A/N: I know, right? I'm pumping them out fast again. I'm in the mood and the spirit, so if you guys are lucky…there should be a good 10 chapters added in the next 24 hours. Please continue to review each if you have the time. I'd love it.**


	8. Back to School

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 8: Back to School**

When Ryan, Marissa, and Summer arrived at Chalet Atwood-Cooper, they decided that Ryan and Marissa would rest for a bit while Summer settled in, and then the girls would go shopping for the party.

In the guest room, Summer decided to make some calls to Cosmo's west coast office to let them know about the party happening at the Hyde Lounge that evening, which she assured them would be a "star-studded and fashionable event" that the magazine needed photos from.

As she began unpacking and looking out her window, which had an amazing view of Newport Beach and the ocean that surrounded it, she couldn't help but feel something pulling at her heart strings. She hadn't fully lived in Newport since high school, but every time she came back, she couldn't help being overcome with memories of the good old days of high school, when she was first falling in love with Seth and the fantastic four would spend all of their free time together. Looking at the ocean, she couldn't believe how complicated things had gotten since then, and she wondered if she was partially to blame.

Summer knew that she had several attachment issues, all of which led back to the departure of her mother when she was 13. It wasn't just her mother, but if she could pinpoint one thing in her life that had changed it all, it was definitely her mother. Because when her mother left, her father delved deeper into his work, which left Summer feeling so alone. And she then became an ice queen, because she didn't want to let anyone else in since the two most important people in her life had literally and metaphorically left her on her own. The only person that she had ever really let in besides Marissa was…

Cohen. The one person that could make her feel. Not just happiness, although she had to admit, only to herself, that he did have an unmatched ability to make her smile. But he pissed her off, he made her hurt, he made her melt, he made her get butterflies in her stomach, and he just made her buzz from head to toe whenever he was around. But when she was feeling down, she remembered that he was the third great abandoner in her life. And that's when she constructed a steel wall around her heart, a wall that even quick quips and pop culture laden bromides couldn't break through.This thought made her sigh and shake herself from her reverie. As she moved to continue unpacking her suitcases, she made a decision, and told herself that she really really meant it. She had to move on.

Meanwhile, Ryan and Marissa lay cuddling on their king size bed in the master bedroom. After several minutes of silence and "resting their eyes", Ryan broke the silence. "So, how do you really think it went with Seth and Summer? I mean, did you get any indication when you went up to talk to them?"

"Um…" Marissa cleared her throat, "Not particularly."

Ryan looked down at her and raised his eyebrows.

"It's just," Marissa's face turned a little red, "They were kind of putting their clothes back on when I walked in."

Ryan raised his eyebrows again, but this time more forcefully, shock clearly conveyed on his features. "Wow," he said shortly.

"Yeah." The two sat silently in contemplation until the Star Wars theme song could be heard coming from Ryan's pocket. Marissa rolled her eyes, knowing that Seth had fixed his phone to play that whenever he called, and moved slightly to the side so Ryan could reach his phone.

"Hello, Seth," Ryan said, in a tone that indicated he had expected the call following his previous conversation with Marissa.

"Hey, buddy. How's it going? Did you guys get all settled in back at your place? And, and, I really didn't get to ask you today, man, how are you?"

Ryan rolled his eyes and sat up. "Look, Seth, I'm fine, but I know about the…sex, so let's just get down to what you really want to talk about."

"Right, well, ahh, look I left right behind you guys, but I'm still nearby, what do you say we meet at the pier for a little diner action. I feel pretty hungry."

"Maybe that's because you and Summer couldn't get through lunch without biting each others heads off," Ryan suggested, clearly amused. "But yeah, just give me about 10 minutes," he finished, clicking his phone shut before Seth responded. Ryan fell back on the bed and wrapped his arms around Marissa, planting a kiss firmly on her mouth. "Seth and Summer fighting and then having sex, meeting at the diner for Seth-Ryan time, if I didn't know better I'd say with these two over the next month? It's gonna be like a little trip down memory lane," he joked to Marissa.

Marissa elicited an exasperated groan. "Ah, you are so right. It's like high school, only with more complex issues and feelings. Add in the fact that they're both legal to drink now and have successful careers, this could be WORSE than high school."

Ryan rose and glanced sideways at his fiancé. "Don't even joke."

"Have fun with Seth. Summer and I are going to South Coast for some retail therapy, and I'm sure that you won't be the only one getting your ear whined off," Marissa complained, causing Ryan to point and silently mock her, before grabbing his keys and leaving.

"And man, I mean, I know she's angry or whatever about me leaving for the meeting, but she's so adamant about staying apart, it's, it's just so ridiculous. Don't you think, man? Ryan?"

Ryan shook himself out of his daze. "Oh yeah, man, totally." He had now been at the diner with Seth for two hours listening to him rehash his entire argument with Summer, and he literally had heard it so many times, he thought he could recite it word for word.

"But, man, I'm not gonna lie, that is probably the hottest I have ever seen Summer. I mean, she was so angry, and her cheeks were red, and she was screaming but all I could think about was ripping off her clothes and"

"Seth, I get the point. Stop there," Ryan said, covering his eyes to shake the visual of Seth and Summer…out of his head. He looked up just to see Seth looking longingly off into the distance, clearly trying to recount the "after party" from their fight.

"She was just so—"

"SETH! I get it. Summer is an extremely good looking girl, and I get that you really want her bad, but seriously, I don't care to know about your…escapades, so to speak."

Seth let out a deep sigh. "I know, man, and I'm sorry," he said turning serious, "But I really feel like it might be over. And it's just like, she's the girl of my dreams, and I love her SO much, and I had her, and I really think the worst thing in the world is getting something that you've wanted all of your life only to have it ripped away. It's like, the rest of my life, nothing will ever be good enough, because I had what was best for me and I just. I threw it away," he finished quietly.

Ryan's face softened a bit as he listened to his brother pour out his soul. "Look, buddy. You can't give up. I mean, that's not like you. You've dreamed about this girl your whole life. Even to an almost creepy extent," Seth's glare caused him to change his tone a bit, "But seriously. You know Summer loves you. And she knows you love her. If it's meant to happen, it will. Maybe she just needs time."

Seth nodded and thought about this. "Yeah, you're right. I just need to give her time. And I suppose, remain on my best behavior while I am doing so. She's just so testy, I mean, one minute it seems like we have a shot, and before I know it, I've done something to piss her off."

"Look, man. It'll be fine. But hey, it's 6:00. You better get back to L.A. for the festivities tonight. We'll see you there, yeah?"

"Yeah, you're right," Seth said, beginning to rise. "Thanks for this, man. I know this must get a little old for you."

Ryan stood and patted him on the back. "Don't mention it. You're my brother, and I've always known you were annoying," he chuckled, "But really, it's kind of cool to me, that you've always loved the same girl, and that you never want to give up on that."

"Right, well, hey, see you tonight," Seth said, giving a wave and turning, slumping his shoulders and exiting the diner.

"I just can't forgive him, Coop, and I mean, he was so presumptuous and cocky about the whole thing, thinking that just because I smiled at the memory of Captain Oats that I wanted to jump his bones. I mean, who does he think he is?"

Marissa rolled her eyes and looked up from the pedicurist. "Summer, I hate to remind you, but you kind of did jump his bones."

Summer glared. "It was the heat of passion! I mean, come on, what is hotter than verbal foreplay? Oh, right, you wouldn't know because you and Chino are so perfect and SO in love."

Marissa just smirked. "Kind of like you and Seth, then, huh?"

"Whatev, Coop. I am so over his ass—"

"You obviously weren't this afternoon," she interjected.

"Well, I am now!" Summer snapped. "And I am not going to let his lanky body and non-existent ass play into my thoughts anymore. We are going to go to this party tonight with our new clothes and our perfect mani pedis, and you are going to chill with Chino, and I am going to schmooze with the celebs, and it will be perfect. Oh, wait. Do you think Ashton will actually be there? I haven't talked to him in over a year!"

Marissa rolled her eyes again. "Nice to know that you've changed so drastically since high school, Sum," she said, earning herself a glare from her best friend, "Seriously, though, you and I both know that it's not going to go down like that. Whether you like it or not, you are head over heels, crazy in love with one, Seth Cohen."

"Coop! What's with you? You're supposed to have my back."

"I know, and I do, Sum, but I know who you really are. And you are really in love with Seth. When you're not with him, you're not yourself. You become so cold and pissed off all the time. You revert back to the way we were before Seth and Ryan came into our lives, and I know that's not who you are anymore."

Summer's gaze softened for minute. "Well, did you ever think, Coop, that I am in love with Seth and that I would love to be with him, but that my deep-rooted fear of abandonment, that he has only done his best to strengthen over the years, makes me think that he's just not right for me?"

"Sum," Marissa said, softening and reaching over to squeeze her best friend's hand, "Seth is crazy about you, you and I both know that, and though he has made mistakes, so have you. And you might be making the biggest one of your life right now, because of your fear. You have to overcome it at some point, sweetie."

Summer let out a deep sigh. "I can't, Coop, ok. As much as I love him, I just think, maybe all of this stuff that keeps coming between us is a sign"

"Didn't you once see a small curly-headed boy playing with comics and a plastic horse that was a sign when you were about to leave for Italy with another guy, that led you to go back to Seth?"

Summer rolled her eyes. "Thanks for that, Coop. But seriously, I'm done talking. I'm not going to be with Seth Cohen, ok? Just accept it. I have. And I am planning on having a great time at this party tonight, aren't you?"

Marissa shook her head at her friend, but conceded this argument. "Of course, Sum. And speaking of which, we better get going before it gets too much later. It's already 6."

"Oh crap. Do you think I'm dry?" she asked holding out her hands.

"Yeah, they look fine. Plus, I'm driving," Marissa said holding up her keys and grabbing her jacket from the coat rack in front of the store. Summer followed her lead, grabbing her own jacket.

"But seriously, Coop, do you think Ashton will be there?" she asked as they left the store, causing Marissa to get a small smile on her face as they headed towards the car, slightly enjoying the return of high school Summer.

**A/N: I hope you liked that one. That's 3 chapters. I only have to make 7 more to keep my promise. Oh, and just to let you guys know. I finally saw this week's episode and I would like to say, if I may, that it was probably one of the best, if not THE best, episode in O.C. history. Ryan's finally a Cohen 0) Sad for the end, but I hope that we can keep the fic rolling for a least a little longer than the show. Anyway, that's enough for me. Read, Review.**


	9. Dangerous Liaisons I

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 9: Dangerous Liaisons I**

Summer looked stunning. She didn't know if she was going all out to please herself or because she secretly wanted to let Cohen know what he was missing, but as she put the finishing touches on her makeup and smoothed out her hair one final time in the mirror, all she knew was that she looked GOOD.

Earlier in the day, when she and Marissa had been shopping, she had come across this gorgeous strapless royal purple mini dress in a Gucci boutique, and as soon as she saw it, she knew it was hers. She wanted tonight to be different, so she parted her hair down the middle and make it poker straight with her flatiron. She gave her eyes a smoky finish and covered her lips with a matte red lipstick. She slid into her favorite Jimmy Choo gold platform sandals, and topped the outfit off with some gold chain necklaces and a gold clutch.

When she walked into the foyer of Ryan and Marissa's place to meet her best friends, they seemed to agree. "Jeez, Sum, looking at you I feel so underdressed," Marissa said with clear admiration. Marissa didn't have much room to talk though, seeing as she was wearing a figure flattering pink Chanel mini dress, and her golden blonde hair fell around her shoulders in natural waves that made her look beautiful.

"Yeah, Summer, you look really nice," Ryan said, surprising both girls.

"Thanks, you guys. You guys don't look so bad yourselves," she laughed, leading the way out to Ryan's rover, with an overnight bag slung over her shoulder.

"Do you think she's trying to torture Seth?" Ryan asked when Summer was out of earshot. Marissa answered him with a glare. "I mean, I'm not saying I'm into her or anything, but you said it yourself, Riss, Summer looks hot."

Marissa nodded in agreement before grabbing Ryan's hand and leading him to the car. "It's not like she ever looks bad, Ry. And I've known Summer forever, she loves getting all dolled up for these events. Especially when there is celebrities and paparazzi involved."

Ryan and Marissa climbed into the car to find Summer in the back seat drinking from a small flask. "What are you doing, Sum?" Marissa asked raising her eyebrows.

"Oh, please, Cosmo Girl, I'm not you," she deadpanned, earning a look from Marissa, "I'm just having a little drink to loosen up a bit. I always get a little nervous on the red carpet."

Ryan and Marissa exchanged a look. "Ok, Sum, I agree. Just be careful. If you get too sloshed tonight after the events of today, I have a feeling you would be more than willing to get into an argument with a certain guy." After a pause, Marissa turned back to Summer. "Do you mind if I have a drink?"

Ryan shook his head, and Summer burst into giggles, as she passed the flask to Marissa and they hit to highway heading into L.A.

When they finally arrived in L.A., after sitting in traffic for nearly two hours, Marissa and Summer were officially tipsy, and Ryan was attempting to keep them calm as they approached the Hyde Lounge. Outside, it was like a scene from an E! special. A red carpet was laid out, and there were crowds of people and cameras lining the streets, trying to see who was coming in.

"Oh my God, Sum, I can't wait to see who they picked to be me," Marissa giggled, "Do you think it's someone hot? Like Jessica Alba?"

Summer laughed at this. "Considering she's like 30, short, and looks nothing like you, probably not Coop. But maybe they got a Russell Crowe look alike to play Chino!" Both girls lost it at this, while Ryan just shook his head and let a small smile grace his mouth. "Oh my God! Look, there's Ashton! I knew he'd be here. I have to go say hi, Coop!" Summer exclaimed grabbing Marissa's hand and dragging her along, leaving Ryan to follow behind.

When they hit the red carpet, Summer sobered up a bit, as she knew she would have to represent Cosmopolitan gracefully, and Marissa followed her lead as they began to pose for the camera. "Miss Roberts, who are you wearing?" a photographer screamed.

"Gucci," she replied, calmly, letting a charming smile grace her features as she put her hands on her hips and her shoulders back to let them have a better look.

"Who's your friend?"

"This is Marissa Cooper, the inspiration for Cosmo Girl, and the fiancé of Ryan Atwood, or Kid Chino. And she's wearing Chanel," she answered, earning a laugh from the crowd before continuing to walk into the club.

When she turned she saw Seth standing arm in arm with the girl that was obviously supposed to play her, the young actress Jenna Davis, Marissa's character, Kelly Wheeler, Ryan's character, Zach Fritz, and Cohen's doppelganger and one of Hollywood's hottest young stars, Adrian Reese.

She couldn't help but notice how gorgeous Seth looked today. He didn't look particularly sharp or anything, but his slightly messy curly hair and the five o'clock shadow that he now donned made him look incredibly mature and sexy in Summer's eyes. He had on a white dress shirt with thin red stripes untucked under a black suit, and of course, in true Cohen fashion, finished the outfit off with his black "dress" Chucks. Summer quickly shook herself from her daydream about her ex. "Oh, Coop! There they are."

"Wow," Ryan said, as he joined the two girls, "It's like us, only not."

"I'd say Seth did a pretty great job, especially on you Sum," Marissa commented.

The three continued forward and waited until Seth was free before approaching him. "Hey, man," Ryan said, clapping him on the back. "So that's your cast, huh?"

"That would be them," Seth said, nodding at Ryan, before noticing the girls. "Hey, Riss, and uh…uh…" Seth found himself temporarily unable to speak when he took in Summer's appearance. He always said that he liked her best when she looked natural, and then, earlier today, when she was angry, he thought she was irresistible, but taking in her appearance right then, he decided she was positively smokin'.

"Summer," she said, smacking him on the chest and shaking him out of his thoughts.

"What? Oh, yeah, sorry. Um. You…well, all of you…look great," he managed to stuttered out.

"Mr. Cohen! How 'bout a picture of the REAL fantastic four?" A particularly observant photographer shouted.

"Yeah, sure," Seth replied, moving to pose for the camera. Marissa and Ryan turned around arm in arm, and Marissa slung her arm around Summer's shoulders. As Seth stepped closer, he put his arm on Summer's bare shoulder, and though she shivered, she fell back into him, and they all plastered huge smiles on their faces.

When the picture was finished, Ryan and Marissa moved to face Seth and Summer, who were still stuck in their half-embrace. After noticing the look from his brother, Seth quickly pulled his hand back and Summer moved to the side. "Right, well, I, uh, haven't been in yet, so, um, shall we?" Seth asked.

Once inside, they all went to the bar to grab drinks. Ryan stuck to beer, because he had a strange feeling that the rest of his party would become incapacitated later, and he wanted to remain at least somewhat sober. As expected, Marissa and Summer each immediately took tequila shots followed by double Red Bull and Vodkas, and Ryan watched on as his brother seemed to have taken quite fond to the whiskey.

After about fifteen minutes of drinking and chatter, Summer decided that she had to go talk to Ashton and asked if Marissa wanted to join her. A slightly tipsy Marissa couldn't seem to turn down meeting celebrities, so she kissed Ryan and followed Summer.

"Hey man, you're really slamming the whiskey tonight. And since when do you drink whiskey?" Ryan asked his brother when the girls left.

"I'm just calming some nerves. And I drank whiskey that one time in high school," Seth assured his brother.

"You mean, the time you tried to impress Alex, got ridiculously sick, and almost broke up Zach and Summer in the process?" Ryan asked raising his eyebrow.

"Yeah, that time. Anyway," Seth said, quick to change the subject, "Did you not see Summer tonight? I mean, I know I was going on about how hot she was today, but seriously? Does she want me to hurt THAT bad?"

"I did happen to see her, man," Ryan said, letting out a low whistle, "And I asked Marissa if Summer was trying to torture you when we left the house."

"And look at her now, man, she's totally good at all this partying stuff, and I can't help but notice how every guy that she walks past looks like he only has one thing on his mind."

"You mean, the same thing you have on your mind?" Ryan asked with a smirk.

"Exactly," Seth said. "I'll take another of these," he motioned to the bartender, "and could you make it a double this time?"

"Be careful, bro," Ryan said, a little worry in his tone.

As Seth was about to replying, he noticed Marissa approaching. "Hey, aren't you missing someone, Marissa?"

"Oh, no, Summer's still schmoozing. I wanted to get another drink, and I didn't really want anyone else to buy it for me besides Ryan," she said, wrapping her arms around him.

"Aww, thanks, honey," Ryan said sarcastically, placing a kiss on her lips before ordering her another drink.

Seth didn't like the possibility of Summer being alone with any men, well, besides himself, and his increasing drunkenness contributed to his increasing paranoia. His eyes scanned the room, trying to find Summer, and when he finally did, he could feel his blood begin to boil. "Oh my God, I can't believe her!" Seth said, taking Ryan and Marissa's attention away from making out.

"What, man?" Ryan asked, looking around trying to see what Seth was looking at.

"Over there," Seth pointed, "She's all over Adrian, the guy that I cast to play the fucking Ironist."

For some reason, Marissa found this really funny and began giggling uncontrollably. "Aww, Seth. She doesn't want the real you, but she wants the guy that plays you on T.V.!"

Seth leveled his future sister-in-law with a glare, and then glared at his brother who shrugged. "This is unbelievable, it's just like, like high school. I sailed away for the summer, and then she hooked up with Zach. You know, like, the guy that's me, but not me. She is so fucking predictable sometimes," he trailed off angrily.

Ryan tried to think of something to say, but he had nothing. "Well, man, why don't you just go hook up with that Jenna chick and follow Summer's lead?" Ryan said, in a tone that was obviously joking. Marissa slapped him on the arm, and he looked at her to tell her he was kidding. They both looked over at Seth, who actually seemed to like the idea, as a mischievous grin was forming on his face.

"Bro, you're a genius!" Seth exclaimed, motioning for another drink from the bartender. "It's perfect. Forget what I said earlier about good behavior. If I know anything about Little Miss Vixen, I know she doesn't like when anyone else gets a hand on the Ironist."

"Dude, I was joking," Ryan said, seriously.

"Well, my friend, I've told you this a hundred times. You're not the funny one," Seth replied, grabbing his drink from the bar and heading off in the direction of Jenna Davis, the fake Summer.

"Shit," Ryan said to Marissa, "This is going to get ugly."

Marissa laughed, almost spitting out her drink, and nodded enthusiastically. "I thought we were in L.A., not Newport."

Ryan shook his head and turned to the bartender. "Can I get a few more of those Red Bull and Vodkas? And go easy on the Red Bull…"

**A/N: I'm a jerk like that. I like to leave in the middle of a party and come back to it. No, but really, aren't you anxious to see where this is going, cause I am? Well, you'll find out in about an hour…Review me, please!**


	10. Dangerous Liaisons II

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 10: Dangerous Liaisons II**

"Seth!" Jenna exclaimed as he came over to where she sat with Zach and Kelly, Kid Chino and Cosmo Girl. "Oh my God, or am I supposed to call you Mr. Cohen, or something?"

"No, Seth's fine," he said, smiling and taking a seat beside her on the couch. "How are you guys enjoying the party?"

"It's great," Kelly said, looking around. "I mean, I never knew the comic was this popular. I feel like this show could be really huge."

"I'm a little surprised myself," Seth said, honestly. "Can I get you a drink, Jenna?" he asked, flashing his dimples at the small brunette. "Or, any of you actually?" he covered quickly, not wanting to make his motives too obvious from the get go.

"Well, I'd love one. Guys?" Jenna said turning to her co-stars.

"Um, I think I'm ok," Zach said. "I was actually going to go see if I could talk with Ashton Kutcher. I can't believe he's here."

"Yeah, I know, right? I'll go with you," Kelly said, rising to go. "But we'll see you around, Jenna, Mr.—Seth."

"Enjoy yourselves," Seth said, also standing. "I'll be right back with that drink," he winked at Jenna.

Seth quickly returned with another double whiskey and a double vodka for Jenna. "So are you used to coming out to stuff like this?"

"Nah, not so much. I mean, I haven't really hit it that big yet. But with the brilliance of your comic and the hotness of our cast, I think I could probably get used to it," Jenna joked.

"It's not so bad," Seth laughed back. "So are the rumors true about you dating your last co-star?"

"Oh, no. I've never really been into co-stars that much. Actors are too conceited, ya know? I mean, I should know, because I am one," Jenna scooted closer to Seth and placed her hand on Seth's leg. "But you're not an actor," she said coyly.

Seth, almost choking on his drink, quickly recovered and placed his arm around her. "You are right, Miss Davis. I am not."

Across the lounge, Summer was flirting with Seth's T.V. counterpart, but was quickly noticing how self-absorbed the young star really was. She laughed to herself, thinking that it was actually almost perfect to have a self-absorbed person playing Seth, but he was even more so than Seth, which she'd always thought was an impossibility.

Summer's eyes scanned the crowd. She saw Ryan and Marissa, who surprisingly both seemed drunk, on the dance floor grinding in an almost disturbing manner with their lips firmly attached to one another. She continued looking around and felt almost nauseous when she saw Seth sitting extremely close to his Little Miss Vixen with his arm wrapped around her shoulders, showing his dimples.

She knew what he was doing, because she was doing the same thing. The difference was, she was way better at the game than Cohen could ever be. She turned her attention back to Adrian and leaned in really close. "What do you say we get another drink and then hit the dance floor?" she asked flirtatiously, rubbing her hand VERY high on his thigh.

"Sure, Summer," he said, slinging his arm over her shoulder and pulling her towards the bar, which happened to be right near where Seth and the girl who Summer had dubbed "uber-skank" sat.

As they walked by, Summer caught Seth's eyes and snuggled even closer to Adrian, leaning up and whispering something in his ears that caused him to laugh.

To counter, Seth moved even closer to Jenna and began rubbing his hand up and down her arm. "Do you need something else to drink?" Seth asked into her ear in an attempt to make it look scandalous to Summer.

"That would be great, Seth. How 'bout I come with you?" she asked, cutely, wrapping her arm around Seth's waist and leaning in.

"Sounds perfect," he said, leaning down to kiss her cheek, then pulling her up and walking towards the bar.

Meanwhile, on the dance floor, Ryan seemed to have remembered where he was at temporarily and began looking around to find his friends, while a drunk Marissa hung around his neck. When he noticed Summer and Adrian all over each other at the bar and a similar Seth and Jenna walking in the same direction, he muttered an "Oh, shit," and shook Marissa to point it out to her.

While Marissa began giggling uncontrollably, Ryan took her shoulders and led her towards the other side of the bar so they could have a good view of the fight that was about to ensue.

As Seth and Jenna approached the bar, a very drunk Jenna, noticing her co-star, immediately screamed. "Adrian! Hey!"

Adrian, who seemed a bit surprised, turned and smiled when he saw Jenna and Seth. "Oh, hey guys, how's it going?"

Summer also turned to face them, keeping her arms wrapped around Adrian and her eyes locked on Seth. "Hey Cohen," she said shortly.

"Summer, Adrian," he nodded.

"Wait, you guys know each other?" Adrian asked Summer, pointing between her and Seth.

"You could say that," she said, shortly. "We're just old friends from high school, babe," she said, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Well, you two seem to have gotten close in a really short period of time," Seth said, glaring at Summer.

"Likewise for you two, Cohen," Summer replied coldly, staring him down.

Adrian and Jenna exchanged glances, but nothing seemed to register with either. Needing to break the awkward tension, Jenna spoke. "So, isn't this party, just, like, great?"

"Oh my God, like, totally," Summer replied in an extremely patronizing tone. Adrian let out a light chuckle and wrapped his arm tighter around Summer.

Jenna seemed confused by Summer's reply, but continued to look between Seth and Summer and after giving a final look at Adrian, realization seemed to dawn on her. "Oh my God, I get it. You're Little Miss Vixen!" she said to Summer.

"Wow, Cohen, you really know how to pick 'em," Summer commented dryly. "Yes, I am," she replied in a sickeningly sweet tone to Jenna.

"Gee, Seth, now I see why my character seems like such a bitch," she said in a stage whisper so that Summer and Adrian could hear.

Summer quickly untangled her arms from Adrian and now stood with her hands on her hips facing off with Jenna. "Excuse me, SKANK?!" she said, her voice rising.

Seth swore that he felt his eyes bulge out of his head, and he quickly tried to move in front of Jenna, as if to block her from the wrath of Summer. "No, Seth, I can handle this," she said pushing around him.

"I don't think you've ever seen a rage blackout," he tried to whisper, but it was too late.

"You're real mature there, Summer, what with the nasty insults and obvious jealousy," she said, placing her hands on her hips to mimic the other woman's stance.

"I'm jealous?!" Summer laughed dryly. "If anything you should be jealous. I mean, come on, Seth already told me how long it took to find someone that was as good as me. And from the looks of it," she said, motioning up and down Jenna's body, "he obviously settled for less than the best."

"Now, now, ladies, you are both special in your own—" Seth tried to interject, but neither girl was going to let it slide. He tried to look to Adrian for help, but it seemed that he was enjoying the prospect of two hot girls fighting.

"Well, Summer, if that's so, than why has he been cuddling up with me all night instead of you?" the younger woman shot back.

"Gee, I don't know, maybe because I dumped him, bitch!"

"Well, he doesn't seem that broken up about it, considering he's been wooing me and buying me drinks all night, and come to think of it, I don't think I heard him mention anything about you even once."

"Did you ever think that the only reason he was talking to you tonight was to make me jealous? I mean, get serious. I happened to fall into a conversation with the guy that is playing him on the show, he sees that and then comes over to talk to a girl that looks like me, only not as cute, and is supposed to portray me on T.V.? I'd say it's a little suspect," Summer said, coolly, causing Jenna to look at Seth who had temporarily become extremely fascinated with the floor.

"Is that true, Seth?" Jenna asked softly, temporarily forgetting about Summer.

Seth had to think fast, and unfortunately, Seth thinking before he speaks usually lands him in some serious trouble. "Jenna, don't you see, the Ice Queen is only trying to make you suspicious, because she doesn't want anything more to come of this. Even if she doesn't want me, she can't stand if anyone else has me," he said quickly, trying to avoid contact with Summer.

Summer's mouth was now agape and her features showed the impending rage blackout as plain as day. "I'm sorry, Cohen. I thought it was you that was begging me for another chance earlier today right after we had SEX!" she yelled, causing not only Seth, Jenna, and Adrian to have shocked expressions, but also several other onlookers, including Ryan and Marissa.

"Oh, boy," Ryan whispered, causing Marissa to almost fall over laughing, from where they stood on the other side of the bar.

By now, everyone was looking at Seth expectantly. "Uh, um…well," Seth let out a nervous chuckle. "Summer, can I have a word with you, in, um, private perhaps?" He quickly took the hand of an angry Summer and took her into a small side room behind a curtain.

Jenna and Adrian stood watching in completely amazement. They turned to each other and exchanged a glance. Adrian just shrugged. "Can I buy you drink?" he asked, trying to give his most charming smile.

"Whatever," Jenna said, resigning herself to a stool at the bar.

From across the bar, Ryan and Marissa also stood looking at the closed curtain that now contained Seth and Summer. "Do you think we should try to go in there?" Ryan asked.

"No. If Seth and Summer are fighting, I've decided I'm never going to follow them again. It just gets ugly. Or naked," she replied.

"Touche," Ryan said. "Can we get two more of these?" he motioned to the bartender, "it's gonna be a long night."

"What the hell was that?!" Seth yelled, turning to face Summer.

"As if you don't know, Cohen," she said, with almost hatred dripping from her tone.

"I'm sorry, Summer, I was simply talking to a really sweet girl for a change, and then you had to go and bring up, the, uh…well, the sex, which is a little strange, considering you're the one who, after the act, decided that it meant nothing."

"It didn't mean anything, Cohen. But, as a friend, I don't really think you should get involved with a skank like that," she said, crossing her arms over her chest and sitting down on a couch.

"Summer, what exactly makes her a skank? The fact that she was obviously interested in me, or—"

"There's a difference between being interested in someone and throwing yourself at a guy that you barely know!"

"You're right, but I honestly don't see why it matters to you, Summer. I mean, you're moving on, right? So why can't you let me do the same?" he asked angrily, but indeed, curious to know the answer.

"I can, Cohen. I just find it odd that you want to move on to someone that apparently has a similar personality and looks to the girl that you're supposed to love. What are you doing, typecasting your girlfriends now?"

"Again, Summer, what difference does it make to you?" Seth said in a calmer voice than he was previously using.

Summer rubbed her hands over her face before finally looking up to meet Seth's gaze. "It doesn't, ok? I just thought it was quite obvious that you were trying to put on a little show for me out there."

"Maybe I was, Summer, and obviously it did the trick. But, uh, the fact is that you started the little game by talking to Adrian. And, might I add, that it's a little funny that this is not the first time that you have tried to make me jealous by getting with someone who is, like, me, but not. Zach anyone?"

"First of all, Zach was way hotter than you, and second of all, I was honestly just talking with Adrian, and I didn't try to make you jealous until I saw—" Summer stopped herself, realizing her slip.

"Aha!" Seth yelled, pointing his finger at Seth. "You were trying to make me jealous. Now why would a friend do that, Summer? Do tell."

"Oh, get over yourself, Cohen."

"No, I won't thank you," he said, seating himself beside Summer, "Not until you admit how much you love me and can't live without me and can't stand to see me with other girls, especially beautiful girls."

"No, I will not admit that. It's true, I can't stand to see you with skanks, but that's just because I have respect for mankind and wouldn't wish that on anyone. And if you think she's beautiful, that's your problem," she sassily replied. She stood to leave.

"Give it up, Roberts," Seth said, also standing.

"Don't call me Roberts, Cohen," she said, placing her hands on her hips and turning towards him.

Seth laughed in reply. "You are so insanely jealous right now, it's actually unbelievable."

"In your dreams, ass hat."

"No, Summer, my dreams consist of you. Naked."

"Well, cherish those, because you'll never see it in real life again."

Seth took the opportunity to cross the space between him and Summer. "Yeah right," he whispered huskily, before kissing her on the forehead and going out through the curtains.

Summer stood in temporary shock, letting everything that just happened sink in. "Grrr," she groaned, before throwing back the curtains and heading back out to the party.

**A/N: I hope you liked this one. It was harder to write for some reason, but I think I liked how it turned out. Lemme know your thoughts. Oh, and for those that noticed Ryrissa's "t.v." characters are called Zach and Kelly…complete accident, honestly. I was going to change it, but I thought, what the hell.**


	11. The Party's Over

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 11: The Party's Over**

After going to the bathroom to reapply her makeup and regain her composure, Summer decided that she wasn't going to let Seth have the pleasure of thinking he made her flustered, so she went back to where she had left Adrian and Jenna at the bar.

"Jenna, Adrian, I just wanted to apologize to you both for that totally obnoxious scene. I mean, I'm not normally like that at all, but obviously Seth and I have a history. I just wanted to let you know that it's in the past, so Jenna, if you want to be with Seth, go for it. He'd be lucky to have you, and Adrian, I think you're a really great guy, so…" she trailed off looking up at the other parties expectantly.

Jenna glanced over at Adrian, who was obviously mesmerized by Summer and decided that it was her cue to go. "It was really big of you to apologize, Summer. Sorry if I hit a nerve with anything I said. Forgive me?" she pleaded, with a small smile on her lips.

"Of course," Summer said, doing her best job to act like she didn't want to bite the girls head off.

"Cool, because I was thinking, Little Miss Vixen's attitude takes a lot of work to nail. I thought if we spent a little time together, I might just be able to get it."

"Sure, though I do live in New York, so you'd have to make it sometime in the next three weeks." Jenna nodded and the two exchanged numbers, before the younger brunette turned to leave.

"So, sorry to make myself out to be a complete psycho the first time we met," Summer said turning to Adrian.

In reply he made a motion offering her the stool next to him and slid a drink in her direction. "Are you kidding me? That was the hottest display that I've seen in a LONG time. Girl, you've got moxie!"

Summer laughed at this and looking over her shoulder noticed the steely gaze of an observing Seth. "So how 'bout that dance?" She took his hand and led him out to the dance floor.

Seth, Ryan, and Marissa stood on the other side of the bar watching the entire scene. "She is one confusing woman," Seth said, almost dumbfounded.

"I forgive you," a small voice said from behind him.

Seth turned to see Jenna standing in front of him, a coy smile on her lips. "Well, that's good since we'll be working together for the next…who knows how long," he said, giving her a matching grin.

"Summer seems really cool," she said, inching closer to Seth and wrapping her arms around his neck. "And she was right, I am kind of a skank. So what do you say we get on the dance floor?" she breathed seductively into his ear.

Seth's eyes bulged out of his head and he quickly tried to regain his composure. "Uh, um, yeah, I mean, why not? Just a dance, right?" He took Jenna's hand and led her on to the dance floor where she began grinding her hips and butt into Seth.

"This night could not get any weirder," Ryan sighed, still at the bar sipping drinks with Marissa.

"Well, Oliver could show up," Marissa laughed into her drink.

"Not funny," he replied, throwing her his patented "look".

"Right, shutting up."

Two hours later, Seth and Jenna were finally coming off of the dance floor, exhausted from all of the bumping and grinding they had done. Summer and Adrian remained there, and from the looks of it, the tiny brunette had managed to get herself significantly drunker over the last span of time.

Seth and Jenna approached Ryan and Marissa, who had moved and were now occupying one of the couches to the side of the bar. "Are you guys having fun?" Seth said enthusiastically.

Ryan looked from his sleeping fiancé on his shoulder back up to Seth.

"Right, so it appears you are ready to go home. Well, we just have to gather Summer and then away we can go," Seth turned to Jenna. "I had a lot of fun tonight. I think working together on the show will be great," he said giving her a hug.

"I think we can do much more exciting things off of the set," she whispered in his ear, before leaving a soft kiss on his cheek and turning to leave.

"Man, that girl is…" Seth looked at Ryan who simply nodded. "Right, so shall you get Summer then? I think she's over there somewhere up against a wall or something."

Again, Ryan looked from his sleeping fiancé on his should back up to Seth.

"Right. So that means I will just have to go separate Summer, my ex-fiance, from the guy that she is most likely playing some serious tonsil hockey with at this very moment. Hmm, that shouldn't be awkward at all. Thanks, bro," he replied, turning in the direction of the dance floor.

Summer was in the middle of the dance floor swaying with Adrian, who was doing everything he could to support her dead weight. As Seth approached he had flashbacks to a similar scene from their senior prom. This brought a slight smile to his face, which quickly vanished when he realized how close Adrian's hand was to some of Summer's untouchables.

"Cohen!" Summer shrieked drunkenly upon seeing him approach. "How's it goin', Cohen? Oh my God, it rhymed," she slurred on.

"Aw, you're just a little Dr. Seuss, Summer. But now, it is time for us to head back to the apartment, because Marissa passed out, ok?" he said, talking as if she were a small child.

"But I'm having fun," she pouted, looking up to Adrian for help.

"Well, I can take you home later, baby," he said, also slurring, while he moved to kiss Summer's neck.

Seth physically shuddered at this action, but quickly tried to recover. "Maybe you should come home with us, Sum. Since you're staying with Ryan and Marissa and all?" he pleaded with her.

"But 'e said 'e can bring me 'ome later, Cooohen," she said, her speech disintegrating by the minute.

Seth was at a loss. Summer was really demanding, but ridiculously cute when she was like this, which made him want to take her home, but at the same time, he kind of knew it wasn't his place anymore. He turned to Adrian. "Here's the deal. You're on the show, you play me, so obviously I like you. But not as much as I like her," he said pointing at Summer, "therefore, if I allow you to bring her home, if you so much as hurt her or take advantage of her in anyway, I will be forced to not only cause you to lose your job, but possibly some very vital organs for a man your age."

"Whoa, dude, chill out, ok? We're just not ready for the party to end."

Seth took a deep breath. "Alright, fair enough. Keep her safe. Sum, if you need anything, just give any one of us a call, ok? Any time."

"I know, Cohen. I know you're always there," she slurred, punctuating it with a kiss on Seth's cheek. He couldn't help but melt at how sweet she was being. Why couldn't he get her to be like this all of the time?

With a bit of sadness, he raised his hand to stroke Summer's cheek before turning and walking away. As he approached the couch, his posture visibly shrank from upright to hunchback.

"Where's Summer?" Ryan questioned as Seth came toward him.

"She has other plans for the night," Seth sighed. At the raise of Ryan's eyebrows, he added, "Don't ask."

Ryan shrugged letting it slide and shook Marissa a bit to wake her up. She shot upright rather quickly and looked around, clearly disoriented. "Is the party over?" she yawned.

"The party is over," Seth said, sadly, turning to leave and leaving his friends to follow.

It was now 6 in the morning and Seth had not been able to sleep a wink. He took the couch to accommodate Ryan and Marissa, and had been laying there since around 3 trying to go to sleep. His mind had been racing, considering the events of the previous day and night, and the fact that Summer still hadn't returned home didn't allow him any peace, either. Finally giving up, he rose from the couch, put on his sneakers and a hoody, and headed to the only place that could make him feel better.

When he got to the docks, he boarded his boat and was surprised to find some things out of place. For starters, he never left the door leading to the cabin open and he was more than certain that he didn't own any gold strappy sandals. Growing slightly concerned, he moved towards the cabin, but his panicked features grew into a lopsided grin when he saw Summer lying passed out on the bed.

Letting out a sigh of relief and his tense shoulders relax for the first time all evening, he moved to the small cupboard to get out a blanket. He gently moved Summer up on the bed a bit, so that her head was now resting on the pillows and spread the blanket over her body, tucking it in on all sides the way she liked it. He sat momentarily on the edge of the bed beside her, taking a moment to watch her sleep, a favorite pastime that he dearly missed. He let his hand ever so gently trace a line from her forehead down her cheek to her chin. She was so beautiful and peaceful when she was like this, he couldn't help but smile.

"Why do you fight it so much, Summer?" he whispered. Taking one more moment to look at her sweet face, he finally bent down to kiss her forehead before standing to go. "I love you, despite everything," he said before leaving to sit on the deck and watch the sunrise.

At that moment, Summer's eyes fluttered open to watch his retreating form. "I love you, too, Cohen, but I can't," she whispered before drifting back off to a restless sleep.

**A/N: I think the end of this chapter was a little weak (like the last line—I pirated it a bit), but I did like that she ended up aboard the Summer Dream (if you remember from MEB, Seth bought a yacht when he got rich and named it the Summer Dream). Anywho, read, review. I'll get maybe one more tonight hopefully and a few more tomorrow.**


	12. Rude Awakening

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 12: Rude Awakening**

The shrill ringing of her cell phone caused Summer to jolt out of bed later that morning at around 11 am. Shooting up, she looked around a bit disoriented. "What the hell?!" she groaned, causing a sharp pain in her head. Her hand quickly moved to her head as she remembered the events of the previous night. She spotted her clutch on the night stand and quickly grabbed it and removed her phone. "Hello?" she answered, groggily.

"Well, my little Summer, have you got some explaining to do," the voice on the other end said, in amusement.

"Hi, Charley. What are you talking about?" she said, falling back onto the pillows and inwardly groaning.

"Well, while it was nice of you to call the west coast office to let them know about Seth's little shindig last night, your little argument with one of Hollywood's hottest new young stars did not go unnoticed. And the board of the magazine are none to impressed with the show put on by one of their youngest senior staff members," the editor reported.

Realization dawned on Summer, and she quickly became worried. "Well, what do I have to do to make this right?" she asked, the concern in her voice not going unnoticed by her boss.

"I'm not exactly sure yet, my dear. You know that I will do what it takes to stand behind you and come to your defense, but I need to know what this was all about so I can explain it to them," she said in a supportive, yet searching tone.

Summer drew in a deep breath and then began to relay the entire events of the previous day, and night, to Charley. Upon finishing, she sighed. "So does that explain everything?"

"Well, sweetheart, I understand, because I know you and I know about your history with Mr. Dimples, but I'm not sure that the board will be to thrilled to know that you put on such a public display all in the name of jealousy," she replied, mischief evident in her tone.

"Look, Charley, I wasn't jealous ok, Seth and I are over and you know that," at the older woman's scoff Summer paused. "Seriously, it was just a lot of alcohol, the heat of passion, and a complete misunderstanding that I personally took responsibility to clear up after the argument."

"It's still going to be a little hard to convince them, especially since the story is in all of America's daily publications, complete with pictures of you leaving the party with a certain Adrian Reese," she informed.

"What?! Are you kidding?" Summer exclaimed. "I mean, nothing even happened. I think Seth scared the shit out of him before he left the party by threatening his job and his male organs, and though he did try for some kissing and some heavy petting, I ended up alone, on Seth's boat last night."

"I believe you, honey," Charley said, chuckling, "But you, as a journalist, know, a picture is worth a thousand words. It's going to take some serious groveling to clear this mess up. Hell, I hate to say it, but you might even be temporarily suspended, or, worse, demoted."

"You HAVE to be kidding right now. I have busted my ASS for this magazine. And they can't even stand behind me and some stupid misunderstanding!!?" she yelled, growing increasingly angry.

"You know I'm behind you, Summer. 110 percent. But unfortunately, I'm not on the board."

"Ok, I get it. Just let me know how it goes, ok?" Summer pleaded, sadly.

"Of course, my love. And you. Enjoy your time with Mr. Dimples. I know he always has the ability to make you blush," her boss said and added a chuckle.

"Goodbye, Charley," Summer said dryly, ignoring her. She shut her eyes as she clicked her phone shut and placed it on the nightstand. After everything she'd been through with the magazine, and all she'd sacrificed to stay in New York and keep her position, she couldn't believe her job was on the line because of some ridiculous rage blackout she had had on some immature Hollywood skank.

After a few minutes, Summer opened her eyes and turned towards the right said of the bed. On the other pillow, she found a pair of sunglasses with a note folded on top.

_Good Morning, Gorgeous. You may want to put these on before coming out onto the deck. I have a feeling your head may hurt after last night. There are some clothes in the cupboard that belong to you, and I left a flat key in there as well for whenever you're awake._

_Seth_

Summer allowed a small smile to grace her features. Despite everything that they had been through together, particularly in the last 24 hours and the three months leading up to it, she still never ceased to be amazed at how sweet and thoughtful Seth could be at times. She decided that she would get up, get dressed, and make a coffee run for her three friends before returning to Seth's loft.

About 30 minutes later, when she got there, she found Seth asleep on the couch, looking as adorable as ever. When she went down the hall, she saw that Ryan and Marissa were still passed out in Seth's bed, looking like they weren't waking up for awhile, so she decided to go back out to the living room to wait. As she walked down the hall, she noticed Seth beginning to stir. She watched as he raised his head from the couch and met her gaze, smiling softly.

"Morning, Bed Head," she said, returning his smile and crossing to hand him the non-fat Vanilla Latte she had bought him.

"Mmm, nothing says good morning like a sweet caffeine fix," he replied, graciously taking the cup that she offered him. "I have to say, I didn't expect to see you this early."

"Yeah, well, it's not by choice believe me," she said, grimly. "And by the way, thank you for tucking me in last night. And leaving a sweet note for me this morning. You were totally right, I did need those sunglasses."

Seth chuckled. "After all of the vodka and other things you consumed last night, I knew you'd be hurting this morning. I know that you can never drink like that without being hung over."

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments sipping at their coffees and adjusting to the morning. Seth looked up at Summer, only to find her lost in her own world. He watched the way that her eyebrows furrowed together, and she worked her bottom lip between her teeth and tongue. He could tell something was bothering her. "Something on your mind?" he asked, quietly breaking the silence.

Summer looked up, a little surprised. "How'd you know?"

Seth blushed slightly before answering shyly. "It's just that, well, I…I've noticed that you sometimes do this thing wi, with your lips and your teeth when something's on your mind."

Summer smiled softly before nodding. "Apparently my little run-in with Jenna did not go unnoticed by the board of directors at Cosmo. It seems that though I've committed everything to them and to this stupid magazine, that this one error in judgment might cause me to be suspended from my job, or even worse, demoted," she said quietly, shuddering at the last part of her speech.

Seth's features were initially shocked, but quickly softened to reflect sincere sympathy. "Man, Sum. That's unbelievable. I mean, we cleared everything up last night, I never thought…"

"Yeah, well. They also happened to snap some photos of an extremely drunk me leaving the club all over an extremely drunk Adrian," she said sadly.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you leave the club with him, I mean, I tried to convince him and you that you needed to come home with—" he replied, pinning the blame on himself, before being cut off by Summer.

"No, Cohen, don't do that. This is my deal. I'm a big girl. I should have used a little more judgment and not gotten so drunk. And not danced disgustingly close to a guy I barely knew. And surely not left the club with him. But it's all in the past now, and there's not much I can do. But I do appreciate your attempts to take care of me," she said with a warm smile.

"Hey what are friends for?" Seth asked, beaming back at her. They returned to a comfortable silence and worked on their coffees. After a few minutes, Seth spoke again. "You have no idea how relieved I was when I found you on the boat this morning," he said, barely above a whisper.

Summer just nodded, letting him know that she was glad to be found somewhere this morning that didn't involve a particularly conceited Hollywood actor and his bed. Before the conversation could go any further, a sleeping Ryan and Marissa came down the hall towards Seth and Summer.

"Good morning, Seth, Sum," Marissa said, yawning. Ryan, who stood behind her, simply nodded his greetings and went for one of the cups of black coffee that sat on the table.

"You might need to heat it up," Summer advised, "It's been sitting for a while."

"When did you get home?" the blonde girl questioned, amusement on her face.

"I came home about an hour ago, technically, but nothing happened with anyone last night. I ended up on Cohen's yacht and passed out there," the other girl informed.

"Fair enough," Marissa shrugged. "So when do you wanna head back to Newport?"

"I don't know. We could do a little shopping while we're here. I mean, Chrismukkah is only 6 days away. Right, Cohen?" Seth simply nodded enthusiastically, while Ryan shook his head.

"When are you coming back to Newport for Christmas," at Seth's look, Ryan changed his tune, "ChristmuKAH?"

"Well, I have to wrap up the latest issue to send to the press before the holidays, and I have a lot of issues final arrangements for the T.V. to sort out with the network, so I don't think I'll be back for the festivities until Christmas Eve," he replied.

Summer's face fell a bit. She knew that things were still complicated with her and Seth, particularly where her feelings were concerned, but she felt like they had really made progress in the last 24 hours, and she couldn't really imagine Newport without him there. Well, that, and she didn't want to be left alone with Ryan and Marissa for the next 5 days. Her thoughts returned to the conversation at hand. "Ya know, maybe we can just go shopping back in Newport. We do have South Coast Plaza. What more do we need, right?" Marissa and Summer giggled, while Seth and Ryan simply shook their heads.

After about 15 minutes, the three were ready to leave Seth's and head back to Newport, while Seth was planning his last busy days before his favorite time of year. Ryan and Marissa quickly said their goodbyes to Seth and left to go to the car, leaving Summer behind. Summer took Seth's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thanks for everything you did last night and this morning, Cohen. And for listening to me bitch about work," she said sincerely, meeting his eyes.

"Hey, it's no problem," he said with a smile, pulling Summer in for a hug. "I've missed you and it's the least I can do."

"It's definitely not and I really appreciate it, Cohen. And I've missed you, too" she whispered in his ear, giving him a final squeeze and a kiss on the cheek, before turning to follow her best friends out.

Seth stood watching Summer's retreating figure in amazement. How was it that she was able to melt him like putty in her hands on a multi-daily basis? She really was the girl of his dreams, and he had to let her know that he would do anything to remain a part of her life. As he shut his door, he began to think of perfect Christmukkah presents. Before he hadn't thought of how crucial a gift could be in the winning back of Summer, but in retrospect, he knew that it had to be a central part in his scheme. He didn't know what it was or how he'd do it, but he knew he had to find the gift that would steal her heart.

**A/N: Again, sloppy ending. This is a bit of a transitional. I thought of an amazing idea which is why the work stuff is coming into play. Seth's christmukkah gift will also be important. The next chapter will be Chrismukkah eve. I want to move it a long just a skoche faster, but I'll try to keep it good. I hope you're enjoying it. Please read and review.**


	13. Anticipating the holiday

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 13: Anticipating the Holiday**

"Hey, man," Seth said hurriedly into his cell phone, "I know that this is probably the 25th time I've called you in the last 24 hours and all, but, I'm just really nervous about this thing with Summer. I mean, the gift. I..I'm just scared at how she'll react, I mean, I mean she could love it, which is the idea, but she could also hate it. And I don't know what I'd do then, man. I mean, obviously I would hurt because she has the rage blackouts and all, but did I mention—"

"SETH!" Ryan said loudly, causing his brother to abruptly stop.

"Sorry, man. It's just…" he trailed off.

"I know," Ryan said, "but as someone with experience with this, I think she'll like it. Or at the very least, be interested."

"You don't think it's too intense or anything?"

"It is intense. But I think Summer will be able to handle it, ya know?"

Seth nodded and was silent for a moment. He had spent the entire day and night after Summer, Ryan, and Marissa had left his house the previous Saturday, wracking his brain to try to come up with the perfect gift or gesture to show Summer how much he cared and how much he wanted to stick around with her. At midnight that day, he had thought of something that could possibly help in getting Summer to deal with her commitment issues with him, and that could, possibly, be just the thing to bring them closer. Seth had made several phone calls and spent the rest of the week ironing out the details of his plan. But now, as he was returning to Newport by boat later that day, he was growing increasingly nervous of how Summer would act.

Shaking himself, he remembered the conversation he was having with his brother. "Right, sorry. I'm gonna get ready to come down there. What's the plan for tonight?"

"Well, the usual fancy Chrismukkah Eve party deal. And then Marissa wants us, as in you, me, her and Summer, to make an early escape for the diner to exchange gifts. And then, I assume you're staying at the 'rents tonight?"

"Yeah, man. You guys are too, right? I mean, Chrismukkah tradition."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll all be staying there tonight."

"Perfect. Well, see you in about 3 hours?"

"See ya, bro."

Ryan and Marissa had been dealing with a very depressed Summer for the last five days. They were relieved that Chrismukkah was here, if only for the fact that it gave them good leverage in forcing Summer out of the house.

Following their brief stint in Hollywood, Charley had called Summer to inform her that the board of directors was suspending her indefinitely. Summer had argued and cried and pleaded with Charley, pushing her pride to the side, which is something she never did, but in the end, she had to accept the decision and try to come to terms with it.

An hour before they were meant to be at the Cohen's for the Chrismukkah Eve festivities, Summer still lay in bed in Ryan and Marissa's guest room watching reruns of the Valley. When Marissa came in to see if her friend was nearly ready, she was shocked at the sight in front of her. "Sum! What are you doing?! We need to be at the Cohen's in an hour and we have at least a 20 minute drive."

Summer looked up at her friend from where she lay on the bed with her hair pulled up on top of her head in a pony tail and donning an old Death Cab t-shirt from Seth and a pair of his plaid boxers. "I'm not going," she said flatly.

Marissa put her hands on her head and groaned. "Sum, you have to go. It's Chrismukkah Eve, and you know how excited Seth gets. You guys are at least friends now, and he would be more than a little disappointed if you didn't show," she moved to sit on the bed next to her friend and took her hand, "And besides, you already told me what you got him, and I really think he will flip out."

Summer sighed. She knew she had to go to Chrismukkah, but she was so depressed over her job and the fact that she was now completely alone with nothing. She pulled herself up to a sitting position and looked at her friend. "You're right, I'll go. But we're going to be fashionably late," she said, rising from the bed and hurrying towards the shower.

Marissa rolled her eyes and left Summer's room to go find Ryan. She found him sitting on the couch, decked out in his suit and ready to go, and she joined him. Ryan looked at her expectantly. "She's going. She just has to take a shower and get ready first."

Ryan sighed, knowing that Summer getting ready was not a quick thing, and pulled Marissa towards him.

Summer decided to wear her hair naturally, falling down around her shoulders in smooth waves. The dress she decided to wear was a sample that she had gotten while she was at the magazine. It was a simple Versace red cocktail dress, with thin straps and a black bow around the waist. After strapping on her favorite black Manolo platforms, she busied herself getting her gifts together. She would only exchange gifts with Ryan, Marissa, and Seth tonight, but seeing as they were all staying with the Cohens, she would need the other gifts for the morning. She quickly prepared an overnight bag. Making one last stop in front of the mirror, she ran down the stairs to meet Ryan and Marissa in the living room.

"6:55!" she exclaimed, as she approached them from behind.

"Great, the party starts in 5 minutes," Ryan said, dryly.

"Hey! It takes 20 minutes to get there, so we'll be there at 7:15, which is exactly when we need to be there to be fashionably late," she came back with a smile.

"Have you ever heard of being fashionably on time?" Ryan shot back.

"Har, Har, Chino. Simmer down, and let's go!" she said quickly, before walking out the front door.

"Well, at least she seems to be in a good mood today," Marissa said, taking Ryan's hand and following her best friend.

Exactly 20 minutes later, the Range Rover pulled into the Cohen's driveway. After handing the keys to valet, the three friends walked in together to be greeted by Sandy and Kirsten.

"Well, look who it is!" Sandy exclaimed, excitedly. He first pulled his son into a man hug and then hugged the two girls warmly.

"Summer, Marissa!" Kirsten greeted warmly, pulling both girls into a hug simultaneously.

"She loves the girls more than me," Ryan said sideways to Sandy.

"Aw, Ryan! Come here," she said, pulling him into a tight hug. "Merry Chrismukkah!"

After greeting each other, the group walked together to the back yard. In the middle near the pool stood a big, beautiful evergreen tree, adorned on one side with red and gold ball ornaments and on the other side by blue and silver stars of David.

"Wow, it's so amazing!" Summer said, turning to compliment Kirsten on the tree.

"Hey, I can't say I really did it myself. It was more like the decorator doing the work while Seth and I supervised," the older blonde replied.

"Seth, always the supervisor," Ryan said dryly, remembering back to high school.

A few minutes later everyone broke up. Ryan and Marissa had to go greet Julie and her husband, Keith, Kirsten went to make sure that everything was still going well with the caterers, and Sandy was talking to some fellow lawyers from the D.A.'s office.

Summer found herself at the bar with a glass of red wine, staring at the decorations and the people and thinking about her job and her dog that she needed to get back from New York since she was suspended "indefinitely". Suddenly, she could feel warm breath on her neck and a voice in her ear.

"Merry Chrismukkah, beautiful."

Before she turned around a wide smile spread across Summer's face, one of the first genuine smiles that she'd had in days. "Merry Chrismukkah, Cohen," she said, turning and pulling him into a tight hug.

After a moment, they separated. Seth looked Summer up and down, seemingly appraising her appearance, and nodded. "Not bad, not bad."

Summer laughed and smacked him in the chest. "You're not so bad yourself," she commented, taking in his appearance for the first time. She had really grown to love the sexy five o'clock shadow that he was always sporting these days, and today, he wore a green pinstriped shirt under a red sweater, with grey dress slacks and red Chucks. His outfit was festive, no doubt, but he had a way of making it look so good.

"So how've you been, Summer?" Seth asked a minute later, grabbing a glass of wine from the bar and sitting at the nearest table.

Following his lead, Summer took a seat as well. "I can't say that I haven't seen better days, but you know what it's Chrismukkah, so let's not worry about it," seeing the worry in Seth's face, she put a hand on his knee, "I'm fine, Cohen, seriously. Let's just enjoy your favorite holiday."

Seth seemed to think about this for a moment before finally resigning. "Fair enough. Are you excited about opening presents later?" he asked in an almost child-like tone.

"I don't know, Cohen. I think I'm more excited to watch you open what I got you," she said, mischievously.

Seth eyebrows perked up at this response. "What you got ME, Summer? It's that cool that you're excited about it? Well, well, what is it? I mean, is it like tangible, or intangible? A..A..And by that I mean, is it like a thing or like tickets to an event or something?..."

As Seth continued to ramble, she laughed and shook her head. After the week she'd had, she needed this. She needed something to completely take her mind off of all of the bad things, and allow her to focus on the good things, and as she sat listening to Seth ramble about God knows what, she knew that he was the only person for the job.

**A/N: I know I'm always ending in the middle of an event, or so, but I thought that was a good place, because the gang's gift exchange is going to have a lot of material to cover. Any guesses as to what Seth is giving Summer? I want to hear them. Read, Review, take a guess! 0)**


	14. The Gift

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 14: The Gift**

The fantastic four remained at the Cohen's party until about 10, at which point they quietly dismissed themselves and piled in Ryan's truck, heading for their diner. They now all sat around the table with shakes and chili fries, sharing some light-hearted conversation and a lot of laughter.

"Man, you guys, this is so old school," Seth said, showing his dimples and looking around at his friends. They all seemed to agree.

"Yeah, except you and Summer aren't at each other's throats," Marissa said, earning looks from Seth and Summer that told her she was "very funny".

"Well, you know, I like to lay off Cohen during Chrismukkah. It is his favorite holiday," Summer smiled patting him on the back.

"And since it is Chrismukkah," Seth began, "I think it is time for the gift exchange."

"I'll go first!" Marissa exclaimed, passing different gifts around to her three friends. Though she had a few more gifts back at the Cohen's for Ryan and Summer to open the following morning, she brought one special one for each of the group.

"Oh my God, Coop! A one of a kind Chanel clutch! Damn, girl!" the small brunette exclaimed, holding the gift up to examine and to show the boys.

Seth opened his present and was more than excited to have copies of the newest editions of the ninja and pirate games for Playstation. "Thanks, Marissa. But I have a feeling my brother might have had a hand in this, so thank you, both," he said smiling.

Ryan eyed the box in front of him, before slowing taking off the wrapping paper. "Come on, dude, today. Geez, have I taught you nothing?!" Seth cried, impatiently. At Ryan's looked, he shut his mouth and watched, as his brother opened a new digital camera.

"Wow, Riss, this is really great. I've never had a camera," Ryan said, gratefulness evident in his tone. He leaned in to give his fiancé a soft kiss, before reaching down and grabbing his gifts off of the floor. He handed a skinny gift to Seth, a small box to Summer and another small box to Marissa.

Seth always the kid quickly ripped the wrapping paper off to find a first edition Batman comic in mint condition and in clear filing, just the way he liked it. "This is awesome, man! How did you know?! It's like the one that my collection is missing!"

"I don't know, Seth, could it be the fact that you've been telling me that for the last month leading up to Chrismukkah?" Ryan asked dryly.

"Well, still! Thank you!"

Summer and Marissa who were busy opening their gifts in unison, both let out a shriek and turned the boxes to show one another. Inside each box lay a matching pendant with a flat heart encrusted with a diamond initial. "They're beautiful, Chino!" Ryan nodded as a way of saying your welcome, before Marissa threw her arms around his neck and planted a sweet kiss on his lips.

"Well, I know how Cohen likes to be last, so that would make it my turn," Summer said. She handed her best friend a long skinny box, Ryan a slightly bigger package, and Seth a pretty large rectangle shaped package.

"I knew the biggest one was mine!" he exclaimed. Summer rolled her eyes, as he quickly ripped the blue and silver Chanukah paper away. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head and his mouth dropped open at what he saw. The gift was a panoramic frame that had three 8X11 Brian Bendis sketches in it. The first was a frame from Ultimate Spiderman, the second a frame from Jinx, and the third a personalized sketch of the group of friends he sat with, no doubt from a picture Summer had provided, in Bendis' best comic form. At the bottom of the last frame was a personalized message and autograph.

_Seth, I love your work, and I heard you love mine. Stay true to the art and to yourself. All the best with your comic empire, Brian Bendis_

When Seth finished reading, he looked from Summer back to the frame, his mouth still agape.

"Well, what is it?! It's the only thing I've ever seen that's rendered Seth speechless," Ryan said, dryly. He watched as Seth turned the frame towards him. "Wow, man, that's great. Good job, Summer."

"Great?! Ryan, it's BENDIS! This is, I mean, Summer, you, you've gone above and beyond the call of duty here, I just, Ah," he rambled placing the frame on the table carefully and reaching over to pull Summer into a hug. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek before whispering a "thank you, I love it," in her ear.

"Jeez, it's no problem, Cohen," she said, smiling and placing her hands on his chest. "Like Ryan said, I may have given it to you before if I knew it would render you speechless."

"I know that was supposed to be a little mean, but I can't even be mad at you right now," he said, placing his arm warmly around her shoulders and turning to their friends to look at their presents.

"Aw, Sum," Marissa said as she opened her box to find a new Cartier watch.

"Hey, turn it over, there's a message on the back," the smaller girl informed. Tears welled up in Marissa's eyes as she read "Sum and Coop" engraved on the back of her watch. She pulled her best friend in for a tight hug before placing the watch on her wrist and smiling contentedly.

"Now, it's going to take a pretty special present to make Ryan react the way that Marissa or I just did," Seth said, wittily, causing all of his friends to laugh and nod in agreement.

They all watched as Ryan opened his package. It was a wooden box. He kind of looked at it, looked back up at Summer who nodded, and looked back down to open it up. Inside lay two tickets and backstage passes to a Journey reunion concert that was scheduled to happen a month after he and Marissa's wedding. "Oh my God!" he said excitedly. All of the friends practically lost it at the sight of Ryan being excited about something.

"Well, what is it, dude?" Seth asked, curious to see what it was that could make Ryan almost giddy. As Ryan held up the tickets, he took a closer look and then looked at Summer and shook his head. "What have you done?"

Summer just shrugged. "I think I may be the only person besides Marissa who's ever gotten a reaction like that out of Ryan, and I didn't even have to do anything dirty." Ryan and Marissa blushed at this comment, and Seth's face contorted into a look of pure disgust.

"Ok, well, I guess that's my cue, but you know how I like to do things one at a time," Seth said handing Marissa her gift first.

Marissa opened it to find a really old looking book. She opened the cover to find that it was a first edition copy of Kerouac's "On the Road." "Seth, this is amazing!" she cried, holding the book up to show Summer and Ryan.

"Well, it's kind of the first thing that I ever knew you and I to have in common, so I thought…"

"It's great," she nodded, smiling to reassure him.

With that, Seth reached for the next package and handed it across the table to his brother. Ryan slowly opened it, which Seth allowed to pass this time, and was almost in awe when he saw what was inside. It was a series of comic books that Seth had obviously drawn himself to document the history of Ryan with the Cohen family. The difference between this and Atomic County was that he just used real names and there were no super powers, just the real story. "Seth," Ryan said quietly, obviously touched by the gesture, "this is really great. Really great."

The gang passed the books around the table for several minutes, before everyone seemed to realize that Summer hadn't gotten her present yet. "Oh, Sum, sorry, it's your turn," Marissa said, rubbing her friend's shoulder.

"Actually, I was kind of hoping that Summer and I could have a minute alone so I can give her her present in private," Seth said, raising his eyebrows at his brother and fiancé.

"Uh, sure, man, we'll just meet you at the car?" Ryan suggested.

"Nah, I'm gonna take Summer for a little walk. You guys can stay," he replied, picking up his bag and offering a hand to the girl beside him.

Summer hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and looking back to shrug at Marissa. "I guess we'll see you guys in a bit."

The two walked to the door and Seth held it open for Summer. He looked back at Ryan before following her out. Ryan gave him a nod of affirmation, helping him to build his confidence, as he moved to leave the diner.

"Do you know what that was about?" Marissa asked curiously, trying to catch Ryan's eye.

"Let's just say, Summer's in for a big surprise."

Seth and Summer had walked quite a long way down the beach in silence and stopped when they reached Marissa's lifeguard tower to take a rest. Once there, the silence continued. Summer knew that Seth had brought her out here to give her a personal gift, but she didn't want to push him, because she had a feeling that he was somehow really nervous about it. So they remained in silence, staring out into the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean and letting themselves be soothed by the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore.

After about 10 minutes, Seth chanced a look in Summer's direction, and her eyes met his, telling him not to be nervous about whatever it was that was bothering him. Giving her a small smile, he spoke. "It was really hard for me to find a gift for you, Summer. I mean, I guess, I originally was hoping to buy you something so fantastic that you would instantly come running back into my arms, but I think I realized that you can't really buy love for the girl who has everything." Summer allowed herself a small smile at this, but her eyes urged him to continue. "So I tried to think of a way to show you how committed I am to making things work. And I know, before you say anything, that I've tried to do so a thousand times, and I have failed a thousand times. Needless to say, I needed a new approach. I wanted to show you how people can change."

Summer looked intensely at Seth genuinely curious as to what he was possibly giving her, but also touched by what he was saying. "Cohen, you know I love you, I mean, I know I've done my best to deny it, but I can't," she said softly placing her hand on his, "When it comes down to it, I don't doubt that you love me either. It's just, I have these issues, and you know this, and I have a hard time trusting and it all leads back to—"

"Your mom, I know, Summer," Seth said, cutting her off softly. "That's why I wanted to give you this." He pulled out a small festively wrapped box and presented it to her.

After looking at it for a moment, Summer took the box and began tearing away at the wrapping paper. Once the paper was tossed to the side, she opened the small jewelry box that the paper had contained and unhinged it. Inside sat a beautiful antique silver locket. "It's beautiful, Seth," she whispered.

"Look inside," he urged on.

The brunette looked into his deep brown eyes, before taking the locket and delicately opening it, only to find a picture of herself as a baby and a woman who she believed she would recognize from a million miles away. She gasped and tears immediately sprang to her eyes. She turned to Seth and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest. She found herself crying harder than she thought she would, and attempted to regain composure before pulling away. "I don't know what to say," she said quietly, her gaze fixated on the necklace, "It's beautiful."

"That's just the beginning," Seth breathed out, clearly unsure of himself. Summer's curious gaze shot up to meet his squarely, and her deep chestnut pools were asking him a million questions. "Look, I know that the reason it is so hard for your to trust me now is because you have deep abandonment issues leading back to your mom. I thought maybe if I could arrange a way for you and your mom to reconnect, and you realize that she has changed and that she wants to be a part of your life, maybe you would consider letting me be part of it again, too."

Summer's hand went quickly to cover her mouth and tears began pouring down her cheeks as Seth pulled out a letter. It had been sent to him from Phoenix, Arizona and Marie Roberts was the name on the return address. With shaking hands, she took the letter from him and began to slowly open it.

Seth looked on, consternation visible on his features. He could tell that Summer really loved the locket that he had given her, but this part of the gift is what he was most worried about. He knew that by now, in the position Summer was in, she could have gotten in contact with her mother years ago, but she never did. Seth also knew that this was, because Summer never wanted to feel like she had to be dependent on anyone, and she didn't want her mother to ever know how much her leaving had effected her. At this point, Seth didn't care how much his gift made Summer want to jump back in his arms or even slap him across the face. He just wanted her to be ok, and to realize that her mother did not leave because of anything she ever did.

Summer began reading the words that her mother had scrawled on the page in similar handwriting to her own:

_My Summer,_

_I'm sure this is a letter that you never really expected to read, but when Seth contacted me and told me about you, I knew that I couldn't stay away any longer, at least not by my choice. I know how confusing things must have been for you when I left. Still to this day, the day I left you was the hardest day of my life. A lot of things went on when you were a child that you didn't know about, because your father and I did our best to hide them from you, only because we both wanted to give you the best life possible._

_The truth is, I had many problems with depression, which were accompanied by a heavy prescription drug and alcohol problem. I never let it show when I was around you. You were the light of my life, which befitted your name, and I would never have wanted you to know or for my using to hurt you in any way. I had managed to keep it under wraps for several years until one day. I couldn't handle things anymore, and I got so drunk and took so many pills, that I forgot where I had left you when your dad called to check up on us. He and I had to drive all over the city to find you, and it was only when we remembered that you had ballet on Thursdays that we found you, three hours after your ballet class had been dismissed. _

_You probably don't remember, but you were so upset. You thought that I didn't love you anymore and that I had wanted someone else to take you home. Even though you were young, it hurt me so bad when I realized that I had let you down. I never wanted to do it again, so I packed my things that night and left. _

_I know it might not make sense to you, but I thought it was for the best. I wanted you to have the best life, and I thought that with all of the problems I had, I would only do my best to ruin it for you. I realize now that I had left you thinking that I didn't love you anymore, and in the process, I made your worst fears come true. _

_I always heard if you love something, set it free. I did that with you, and I'm sorry. I realize it must have been terrible for you when I first left. And even worse as you grew older and had to be the girl without the mom. Summer, I'm begging you for a second chance. I've already missed the better part of my daughter's life, and I don't want to miss what is yet to come. I know that it may not mean anything to you anymore, but I want you to know that I love you, and I've never stopped. If you wish to get in touch, Seth has my contact information. He seems like a great friend to you. I'm here when you're ready_

_Love,_

_Mom_

Summer read the last part of the letter with tears streaming down her face. She sat for several seconds, before resting her face on her knees, hugging them with her arms, and letting sobs take over her body.

Seth hated to watch her in pain. He had expected some crying, of course, but he had never imagined, or he supposed, understood how profound Summer's "mom" issues really were. He wrapped his arms around her small body and pulled her between his legs and to his chest. He held her for several minutes, softly brushing her hair and placing small kisses on her head to comfort her.

After almost an hour had passed, Summer let out a deep sigh and wiped away the last of her tears. Clearing her throat, she spoke. "I honestly don't know what to say, Seth. But at the very least, thank you," she said sincerely meeting his gaze.

Seth allowed himself a small smile and reached up to gently touch her cheek. "You know I'd do anything to try and help you, Summer." She nodded at this and gathered the letter and locket into her purse.

Standing up, she offered a hand to help Seth to his feet. He graciously took it, and they turned to walk back up the beach towards the diner. Much to Seth's surprise, he felt her delicate arm wrap itself around his waist as he walked. Taking the cue, he returned the gesture by placing his arm around her shoulders and giving her a warm squeeze as they made their way down the beach in silence.

**A/N: Ok, so the writing—a little shabby—but to give myself a little credit, which I would never pass up the opportunity to do, I did like the idea for the Christmas gift. Let me know what you guys think. And I'm getting mixed signals. A lot of people think SS should remain a part, while others have already wanted them together. I, personally, was planning on building up their relationship from this point, but I want to run a survey…too soon? too late? perfect time? Let me know. I hope you enjoyed. 0) and review…**


	15. Payback

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't usually do this, but I think this chapter is going to get a little dirty…meaning, descriptively sexual. So if you are at all opposed, you can simply skip to the next chapter, and little meaning, if any, will be lost.**

**Chapter 15: Payback**

After Seth and Summer returned to the diner from their walk on the beach, the gang decided that since it was one in the morning, they should return back to the Cohen's house to sleep, knowing that Seth always liked to be up with the sun on Chrismukkah.

Upon their return, Seth, who was still reeling from his gift exchange with Summer, lay in bed in his boxers. He realized he wasn't getting to sleep anytime soon, so decided to make use of his time by checking his emails. As he sat with his headphones on, he didn't hear a small robe-clad figure creep into his room until he felt two warm hands on his shoulders and hot breath on his neck. A slow smile spread across his face, and he quickly took his headphones out without turning around. "And to what do I owe this visit?" he asked softly, into the darkness.

"Cohen," Summer's voice came in his ear, "I think tonight was the first time I've ever seen you do something for another person without reaping any reward for yourself." Knowing that Seth would somehow protest, she slowly raised her hand to cover his mouth. "Look, I'm not saying that we're getting back together just yet, but we both know where this is leading."

"We do?" he asked curiously.

"Come on, Cohen, Zach could even see it in high school. We're just one of those couples." Seth let himself smile at this and relaxed a bit into her embrace. Summer began trailing soft kisses on the back of his neck and nibbling softly on his ear, causing goosebumps to cover his body.

"Wh…what are you doing, Summer?" he stuttered out, somehow finding his voice. He felt her pull away and slowly turned his chair until he was facing her. She had her hair in a messy bun on top of her head and a big, fluffy white robe covering her body. She looked adorable to him.

"Well, Cohen, since you were, indeed, so selfless tonight," she said slowly, taking her hair out of its bun and letting it fall lazily around her shoulders, "I thought that it would only be right if I could somehow pay you back." She slowly began untying the knot in the belt that she wore around the robe.

"Summer, if there is a Wonder Woman costume under that robe, I am not responsible for my actions." As the robe dropped and Summer's perfectly tan body stood in front of Seth in a lacy red push up bra and matching panties, his mouth involuntarily dropped open, and he couldn't suppress the awe-struck smile that came to his lips. "Forget that I even mentioned Wonder Woman. This, ah ha, this is just…whoa." Not being able to control himself, Seth reached his hands out for her hips in order to pull her to him, but Summer quickly took a step back.

"Ah, ah, Cohen. Your act was selfless, therefore, in order to repay it, I have to do something equally selfless," she said, seductively, taking the white robe belt that she had tossed on the floor and moving to tie it around his torso. As she leaned in, she made sure to bring her breasts dangerously close to his face, and Seth couldn't help but place a lingering kiss on the valley between them. Summer looked down at him with her hands on her hips. "Hey, I'm supposed to be doing the work here," she said, lightheartedly.

"Summer, your boobs were just on my face, I mean, any man in my situation would hav—"

"I knew I should have brought the gag," she commented dryly.

"I can think of other ways that have been known to silence me," he offered innocently.

"So can I," she breathed into his ear before nipping it and moving down to his neck. She began by trailing slow, passionate kisses down both sides of his neck until Seth visibly stiffened, and she could tell how excited he was. She continued her descent down his chest, stopping briefly at his nipples and causing him to involuntarily moan her name.

Smiling into his chest, she continued her way down his stomach, her hands simultaneously reaching up to tease him at his waist band. Seth let out something between a moan and a laugh, as he was always slightly ticklish in that particularly area, but the movement of Summer's hand towards his man area was enough to silence any laughter.

Summer slowly worked her way down, until her lips rested just above his waistband. She trailed kisses horizontally from hip bone to hip bone, and in one swift movement removed his boxers. Noticing at once how excited he was, she decided that a little more teasing could go a long way. She grabbed him with her left hand and lifted up slightly, so that she could nibble and kiss his inner thighs with caused him to breathe out an "Oh my God" and convulse. Delighting in this herself, Summer decided that the teasing had gone far enough, so she quickly took him into her warm, wet mouth, and began moving her head at a steady rate, stopping ever so often to give him a soft nibble and to change her speed, which caused him to moan louder.

After a while, Summer found herself getting more into it, and needing some fulfillment herself, she abruptly stopped and stood. At this sudden halt, Seth's eyes shot open and his head moved so he could see what she was doing. As she took a step back, he grew worried. "Ah, yo—you're not stopping there are you?" Summer simply shook her head and reached one hand behind her back, unclasping her bra and letting it drop to the floor. "Good Lord," he breathed, letting an awe-filled smile spread across his face, as he had almost forgotten how beautiful her body was. Well, almost.

Seth watched as Summer slowly hooked her thumbs inside of her panties and moved them down until they too hit the floor. He could feel his heart rate quickening as she took a step towards him, and her naked body leaned in to untie the belt that was holding him to the chair.

Not being able to resist any longer, Seth pulled her down until she straddled him and devoured her mouth in the most hungry kiss he could muster. "Not bad," Summer laughed breathlessly, momentarily resting her forehead against his, before pushing her lips back on to his. The sat kissing passionately, Seth's hands roaming over Summer's body as if to feel every possibly inch of her and her hands wrapped contentedly around his neck. After a few minutes Summer could no longer take it, so she raised herself up ever so slightly, giving Seth his cue, and he quickly pushed himself inside of her.

"Oh my…Summer," Seth let out huskily as she began slowly rocking back and forth on top of him.

"Cohen, you're amazing," she whispered in his ear, before beginning to trail kisses down his neck with each thrust. They continued, occasionally varying the speed and intensity until they could both tell that they were well on their way to reaching climax. In a quick move, Summer threw her legs around Seth's back and squeezed him tight, as he began to thrust her harder. As the end came closer and closer, she forced her mouth on to his and hungrily kissed him until her body began to buzz and she had lost all feeling and—"Cohen!"

"Summ—oh God." All of the sudden all motion ceased. Summer let her legs fall back to Seth's side, and she forced her face into the crook of his neck, leaving a lazy kiss. Seth found himself pulling Summer closer to him with his arms, and he rested his glistening forehead against his shoulder. After a minute, he hugged her tight and stood to move to the bed. He gently pulled back the cover with one hand and set her down, following quickly so as not to lose contact.

They both lay in bed about six inches apart facing one another with legs intertwined and arms around each other's waists, eyes closed. After several moments, Seth opened his eyes and let a small smile creep across his face as he saw the contented look that played on Summer's features. "That was—"

"I think, that was the best we've ever had," Summer whispered, opening her eyes to be met by Seth's gaze.

He nodded in confirmation and leaned up to place a soft kiss on her forehead. "You don't have to say it unless you feel so compelled, but I love you," he said softly against into her hair.

"I love you, too, Seth," she said, pulling him closer to her until their bodies were as close as possible.

They lay for a while in silence, Summer rubbing Seth's side and he drawing lazy patterns on her back. When their motions both slowed and it seemed as though they were drifting off his sleep, Seth let out a low laugh. Seeing Summer's eyebrows raised at him, he shook his head. "I was just thinking, whoever said 'Payback's a bitch'? Dead wrong. Just completely."

"Cohen!" Summer groaned, slapping him on the side, before cuddling closer and returning back to the silence.

**A/N: So I know that was pretty unnecessary smuttiness, but I just felt like it kind of went. I hope no one is now turned off to this story…or turned on, because that would just be…Ew. Anyway, keep reading and reviewing. Any suggestions? I'll take it into consideration. Thanks again!**


	16. Chrismukkah Surprises

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't usually do this, but I think this chapter is going to get a little dirty…meaning, descriptively sexual. So if you are at all opposed, you can simply skip to the next chapter, and little meaning, if any, will be lost.**

**Chapter 16: Chrismukkah Surprises**

It was 9 am on Chrismukkah morning when Summer was abruptly awoken by the sound of knocking on the door. As she jolted awake, she quickly realized that she was still laying in Seth's arms, with only a tightly wrapped sheet covering her body.

"Seth, honey, can I come in?" Kirsten's voice prodded through the door.

"FUCK! COHEN!" Summer whispered, pushing him with her arm and looking at him expectantly. As Seth slowly opened his eyes, he looked up at her confused. She motioned towards the door and mouthed "your mom".

Reacting quickly, he pulled up his comforter and motioned for her to go beneath it and "lay still". Summer rolled her eyes, but realizing there wasn't much else to do, finally submitted and went under the covers. "Yeah, uh, come in mom," he answered, sitting up against his head board and trying to smooth the covers out to hide his "visitor's" presence.

Kirsten rounded the corner with two cups of coffee in her hand and a warm smile on her face. "Merry Chrismukkah, sweetie," she said, setting one of the cups in her son's awaiting hand. "We were getting worried, usually you're up with the sun on your favorite holiday."

Seth chuckled a bit nervously. "Yeah, well, I guess I was more tired than I thought, and we were out at the diner kind of late last night."

"Yeah, but that's never stopped you before," she smiled, suddenly looking around the room and noticing a white robe on the floor as well as some of her son's clothes flung haphazardly about. "Have you seen Summer this morning?" Kirsten asked, pointedly.

"Ah, ah, no, nope. I've just been sleeping here. Alone," he responded nervously, hoping that his mom was still naïve to the rendezvous that occurred the previous night.

"Uh huh," she replied raising her eyebrow.

"Maybe you should try her room," he suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

"No, Marissa tried already. She wasn't there," Kirsten crossed the room and picked up the robe, "And I'm pretty sure that you don't wear a," she checked the tag, "small at Victoria's Secret."

"Ahaha, well, mom, here's the thing. Summer came here last night, and we were talking, and she got warm, because it's warm in here, it must be all of the Chrismukkah cheer, oh hey, I rhymed. Anyway, she must have accidentally left her robe, I guess. On the floor," he nodded his head for emphasis.

"Seth," Kirsten said, in her best mom voice.

"Yes, my darling mother?"

"Cut the crap. You and Summer slept together last night," she said, a slow grin forming on her face as she watched her son turn beet red and start squirming nervously.

After a moment, he dropped his shoulders and sighed. "Fine, mom. You're right. We slept together. But it's not a big deal, I mean, if Summer and I never slept together neither of us would ever get—"

"COHEN!" Summer yelled, revealing her presence and slapping him on his bare chest.

"What?" he exclaimed, rubbing his chest and then shrugging again, "Is it not true?"

"Well, maybe, but you don't have to say that to your mother," she growled through clenched teeth. Regaining her composure, she turned to face the older woman and smiled sweetly. "Good morning, Kirsten."

"To you too, sweetheart," the blonde replied, raising her coffee cup in greeting, amusement etching all of her features. After a minute of awkward silence, she spoke again. "OK, well, I'm going to go and leave you two to it, but please hurry. I think your dad bought me something diamond this year," she said excitedly before leaving.

"Oh. My. God," Summer said falling face first into the blankets, clearly mortified.

"Oh, come on, Summer. It was bound to happen. News spreads like butter around this house, mainly because no one ever locks any doors," Seth replied dryly, before rising and putting on his favorite candy cane boxers.

"Cohen, that is SO not the moral of this story. We're not even back together, yet your mom clearly knows that we slept together, now she's going to think I'm a total slut bag," she cried, turning to face him with her hands on her hips in the lacy bra and underwear she had discarded the night before.

Seth just pointed at her with a smirk on his face. "She probably won't think that unless," he brought a finger to his mouth, "You are wearing just that next time you face her." He laughed and quickly ducked to avoid the pillows Summer was now throwing at his head. Still shielding his face, he crossed the room and put his arms out motioning for a hug.

Summer rolled her eyes at first, but then dropped her head, relenting, and fell limply into his arms. "Hey," he said softly, hooking his index finger under her chin and bringing her eyes up to meet his, "thanks for last night. It was unbelievable, sleeping next to you again, and well, uh, ha, not to mention that incredibly hot sex." He dropped a soft kiss on her nose before pulling her closer to him.

She now smiled up at him warmly. "Well, I will say that you deserved it after what you did. I mean, I'm definitely not like magically over my mom issues, because the fact remains that she totally ditched me and my dad," she nuzzled her face into the crook between his neck and shoulder. "But, at least I can kind of be relieved to know that it wasn't my fault."

Knowing it wasn't the best time to speak, Seth simply nodded and continued to hold her for a few seconds, before kissing her on her head and pulling away. "Well, we don't want to talk about all of this heavy stuff now. It's Chrismukkah," he exclaimed, while finishing dressing and heading towards the door.

"You are SUCH a child, Cohen," Summer commented, though letting out a small chuckle, as she tied her robe tightly around her waist and followed him out the door.

Though Seth claimed that Chrismukkahs in years past were the "best ever", Chrismukkah 2013 was definitely a chart-topper for the Cohens, an Atwood, a Cooper, and a Roberts. Everyone had sat around for a few hours opening presents, laughing and just enjoying the day.

As hoped, Kirsten had received a beautiful diamond pendant from Sandy, with their names and wedding date engraved on the back. The four younger "family" members had all received a plethora of clothes, DVDs, CDs and books from the older Cohens. Marissa gave Summer and Ryan each a very specially designed scrapbook, and Seth a collage of the fantastic four from high school and beyond. Ryan gave Marissa a one-of-a-kind pair of Manolo Blahniks and Seth a few other video games that he had been dying to play for most of the day.

Summer surprised Seth again by giving him a pair of custom-made Converses, claiming they were at least a little bit more stylish than the old ones that he usually wore. Seth had seemed mildly offended by this, but inside, he really agreed with her and was in awe of her sneaker designing abilities. Seth then set a box with holes in it in front of Summer, and she screamed bloody murder when Blanche popped out.

"Cohen, how did you do this?!" she exclaimed, as she held the squirming puppy, letting her lick her face.

"Well, I knew that you couldn't be without her for that long, so I did a little snooping, AKA I called Charley and found out what doggie daycare you checked her into. And, well, I found out that a main guy working at Fed-Ex is a huge fan of Atomic County, so he had her specially delivered yesterday to L.A., and I brought her down with me," he explained.

"You are the best friend ever," she said, leaning in to give him a sweet kiss on the cheek and then holding up Blanche to do the same.

Now, it was hours later, and the family was preparing to eat their infamous Chinese takeout and watch the Sandy Cohen classic "Over the Top". As they all sat laughing, eating, and mocking the movie, the doorbell rang.

Sandy looked at Kirsten. "Please tell me you didn't invite Julie," he complained.

"No, not at all," Kirsten shook off, looking back equally surprised. "No offense, honey," she said looking at Marissa and offering a smile. The younger blonde simply waved her hand as if to say, "it's okay, I totally get it".

"Well, I guess, if no one else will get it," Seth set down his take out box and moved towards the front door. When he got there, he opened it up and was surprised to see Summer's dad. "Dr. Roberts. Merry Christmas. What are you doing here?" he greeted, a perplexed look on his face.

"Well, I'm," Dr. Roberts moved to the side and looked at the woman who had previously been concealed. Seth's mouth dropped open, and he found himself in shock. "We're actually here to see if we can talk to Summer." He took the woman's hand and squeezed it.

"Um, sir, ma'am, no offense, but I don't know if today is such a great time to do this to her. I mean, it's sweet, but she just got the letter last night, and I don't know how she would feel about this," he said, concern for Summer evident in his tone. Suddenly, he felt to warm arms wrap around his waist, and he knew things were about to get ugly.

"Who is it, Cohen? We were getting worr—" Summer quit talking as she noticed the two people standing on the other side of the threshold. She quickly dropped her hands from Seth's torso and moved to stand in front of him, as if to get a better view. "Mom," she breathed, tears instantly welling up in her eyes. She put a hand to her mouth, but quickly shook her head, not allowing herself to show such raw emotion. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, coldly.

"Summer," the woman said softly, taking a step forward and attempting to reach a hand out to her. To counter, Summer stepped back, running into Seth, who instinctively reached his hand up and placed it comfortingly on her shoulder.

Summer raised her hand and shook her head. "No, not today, Mom. Or Marie. I don't even know what to call you right now," she said, almost to herself. As she looked down, she noticed her parents' clasped hands. She looked up and met her father with a steely gaze. "And Dad! What are you doing? You're just going to forgive her instantly. She hasn't even cared to call or write for the last 12 years! How can you do this to me?"

"Summer, honey, we want to try ag—" Neil began to plead with his daughter, but she abruptly cut him off.

"Save it, Dad. And Please, just go, you've already ruined my life and now you're ruining my Chrismukkah," she said, trying to maintain her icy tone, but faltering with emotion.

"Summer Anne, do not talk to me like that! I am still your father," Neil countered, sternly.

"You certainly have a funny way of showing it," she finished with a glare, before turning on her heel and running into the Cohen kitchen.

Seth, who had remained silent for the entire encounter, shook himself at the realization that Summer had just left. "I…" he turned to the two adults, motioned to where Summer had fled, and slammed the door.

Upon entering the kitchen, he noticed that Summer was no longer there and was met with the concerned gazes of his family and friends from the den, who had no doubt heard the entire exchange as the movie was paused and their forks were temporarily dropped. "Where's Summer?" he asked, worriedly.

"She took her purse and Ryan's keys and made an escape the back way," Marissa said quietly. "I can't believe her mom came back," she finished, voicing the thoughts that were on everyone else's mind. They all sat in silence for a few moments.

"Well, I have to find her. This is just fucking great, I mean, why the hell did they have to do that today? Summer was having the best Chrismukkah ever, and now," Seth motioned around wildly with his hands, shaking his head, and just earning understanding nods from everyone else. "I actually think I know where she'll be though. Dad?"

"The keys are on the counter, son. Just be careful, and if you need anything—"

"I'll call. I promise," he said reassuringly before heading towards the front door.

The four remaining members sat in the den just staring into space, each absorbed into their own thoughts. Finally, deciding that they couldn't just sit and mope, Kirsten took the initiative. "Egg nog, anyone?"

They all looked up at her with slightly disbelieving looks on their faces, but eventually just nodded as she moved to the kitchen and Sandy unpaused the movie.

**AN: There it is. A wee bit of a cliffhanger, but I thought if I finished the whole Chrismukkah it could get a little too long. Plus, I like to isolate the Sethummer moments a bit. Oh, and can we please forget Kiki's an alchy for this episode? Thanks. I'm also starting a new fic "Awaiting His Destiny" if you're interested. At any rate, read, review, send me some lovin'.**


	17. Comfort on the Beach

"**A New Edition"**

**Summary: This is the sequel to "Most Eligible Bachelor." I'm not going to try to recap a lot of "Bachelor," so I suggest reading it first. Seth and Summer are trying to make sense of their lives on opposite coasts…Can they make it work?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 17: Comfort on the Beach**

Seth stood in the car park scanning the beach. When he saw a figure slumped in the sand, he let out a sigh of relief. He had come to the spot that he and Summer had often retreated to in high school when they wanted to leave behind the craziness that was Newport and just be with one another, minus all the drama that seemed to accompany their families and best friends at all times.

After kicking off his shoes, he grabbed the blanket that sat on the hood of the car and began to approach the small brunette. As he got closer he noticed a bottle sitting beside her in the sand and couldn't help but sense the faint aroma of cigarette smoke. Not saying a word, a set his shoes in the sand next to her and laid the blanket over her shoulders before taking a seat.

They sat for several moments, staring out into the ocean. Summer's mind was reeling with the events of the past week. She had gotten into a drunken fight that had resulted in her face being strewn across tabloid pages all over the country, she'd been suspended from her job, had sex with her ex-fiancé…twice, been given some of the sweetest and most meaningful presents she'd ever received, and then been faced with some unexpected family drama of the worst variety.

Seth, on the other hand, sat worrying about the woman next to him. Despite their constant problems and whether or not they were together, she was the person that meant more to him than anyone else in the world and to see her going through the things she was going through, he couldn't help but feel sad for her. He wanted more than anything to make her life uncomplicated, but at the same time, he knew that there was a lot of stuff that she had to deal with alone.

After several moments, Summer cleared her throat and spoke in the softest tone possible. "I knew you'd find me here."

Seth just half-smiled and glanced at her sideways. "Well, this is the classic Seth Cohen/Summer Roberts escape destination."

Summer smiled a little at his comment and scooted a bit closer, offering out a piece of the blanket. "That's why I came here." He scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Don't get too frisky," she joked, reaching down to take a cigarette out of the pack that sat next to her in the sand, before bringing it to her lips to light it.

"You know, I'm not saying I haven't smoked myself, what with the stress of Atomic County, but I don't like to see you doing it, little lady," he teased, nudging her in the side. At her eye roll, he relented. "Alright, but just this once, and only if you share."

Summer raised an eyebrow but passed Seth the lit cigarette. "Don't you wish sometimes that we could go back to the way things were in high school? I mean, when they were so much easier?"

Seth just laughed at this comment. "Sum, let's face it, our lives have never been that easy. But I guess I know what you mean. The issues seemed to affect us far less back then."

Summer nodded, and they both resumed staring out into the ocean in silence, occasionally passing the cigarette back and forth. When it was finished, she snubbed it out in the sand and put it in the paper bag she had brought with her. She then uncapped the bottle of vodka from its place in the sand and raised it. "To high school," she said dryly, before taking a big swig and handing it to Seth to do the same.

After taking a drink, he passed it back. "Oh, this is very high school, just not our high school experience. We're being very Marissa right now. Sitting on the beach, staring into the ocean, brooding, smoking cigarettes, drinking vodka." They both shared a laugh at this, but continued to work on the bottle.

When twenty minutes had passed, it was obvious that the alcohol was running its course. Summer was snuggling ever closer to Seth, and he in turn was loving the feeling of running his hand up and down her back. The silence was interrupted once again when Summer began giggling uncontrollably. "Do you remember that time when we took Mr. Coop's boat and sailed to Catalina? That was definitely a time when things were less complicated!"

"Of course I remember. August 16, 2005," Seth smiled back.

"How do you remember the date, Cohen?" she asked, looking up at him in amazement.

"It's the first time Ryan said something funny," he threw back, causing them both to erupt into laughs. "But Sum, that wasn't so 'uncomplicated'. Do you remember why we made that little escape?" he said, turning serious.

She chewed the inside of her cheek and her forehead creased in concentration, as she desperately tried to recall. "It was when Marissa shot Trey," she said softly, suddenly remembering and altering her mood.

"Exactly," Seth said, taking the almost empty bottle from her hand and taking a big swig to finish it before slamming it into the sand. "Nothing's ever been that easy for us here. I mean, I don't know why. Well, I have a theory. I actually think that God or Karma or whatever is punishing us for being rich, living the 'easy' life, with the best cars and the best clothes," Summer shot him a look at the last comment, "Ok, fair enough, some of us have the best clothes. But that's not the point. Money can't solve problems. It doesn't magically make people happy. Look at us. We represent the 1, the richest people in America, yet there's never been a time here where something scandalous isn't going on and everything isn't fucked up."

Summer thought about his theory and shook her head. "You and me."

"What?" he replied, confused.

"You and me. When you and I were together in high school, nothing was that fucked up. I mean, sure, things happened that drove us apart, but we were never really apart. And whenever we were together, everything just felt," she trailed off at the end, looking out into the ocean as if searching for the right word in its vastness.

"Perfect," he finished softly, looking at her sideways with a lopsided grin and pulling her closer. As Summer settled into his embrace, he continued. "But it still wasn't perfect. That's what made it seem that way. It was the imperfections in us both that made us fall in love and that kept drawing us back together. You even told me that once." They returned back to their comfortable silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

Seth was surprised that Summer had yet to bring up the issue of her parents, but he was enjoying the silence and the close proximity too much to try to breach the subject himself. He decided he would just be there, for once, not talking, and when she was ready, he would listen.

"Ya know, I just can't believe her, showing up like that out of the blue. And him. I just feel so betrayed right now," she said, so quietly that her voice almost blended in with the sound of the tides, but forcefully enough that Seth could sense her anger and emotion. Summer looked at him, almost as if she was expecting him to say something, but when he simply nodded, she continued. "It's just like, well. Why would he take her back? I mean, it's not like she just left for a week or two, and then, realizing her mistake, returned. She's been gone for half of my life!" her voice broke at this and several tears slipped down her cheeks.

She frantically wiped them away before continuing. "When my mom left, my dad was all I had. I mean, when I started my period, I didn't even want to leave my room, because I was too embarrassed to tell him. But he was there, and he helped me. When I went through my first heart break, he was there, and he listened while I cried. All of the things that a Mom would do, he did. AND all of the things a dad would do. He and I were closer than anyone. It was us against everything." She let out a frustrated sigh. "And then she comes back, and it's like he forgot all of that. Look at this, Seth! You found me, not him. He stayed with her. It's like the biggest betrayal slash shock ever." She finally broke down into sobs and couldn't resist when Seth pulled her closer. She threw her arms around his neck and soaked him with her hot tears.

Seth felt like his heart was breaking. He wanted to say something to help her, but he didn't think he had the words in this scenario. He sat quietly, rubbing her back and gently rocking her, until her crying subsided, and she pulled back to look into his eyes. "What should I do, Cohen?"

He remained silent for a few seconds, avoiding her eye contact as he tried to formulate the best thing to say before actually speaking. "Well," he started, taking her hand and meeting her eyes, "I don't know if you should be so mad at your dad." At Summer's shocked look, he continued. "Like you said, look at us right now, Sum. You left me for six years, and it took, what, a day for me to take you back? And three months ago, we broke up again, which was arguably your fault or mine, but still. If you love someone, sometimes you can see past mistakes that were made. You of all people know that. Look at how many times I messed up. No matter what I did, you could never stay mad. Well, except…" Seth trailed off, realizing that the status of their relationship still wasn't confirmed, and that she hadn't yet forgiven him for the mistake he made. Although he wasn't really ready to take the blame for that either, as he still thought that it was her who was running away, if not literally, metaphorically.

Summer looked up at him, and her anger had seemed to disappear. He was absolutely right. His dad taking back his mom was the same as Seth taking her back after her college abandonment, or her taking him back after his summer at sea. She realized then that she had a bit of her dad in her, the ability to see past flaws to the person she loved, but she also had a bit of her mom in her, the part that was scared about never being enough or the part that was scared to commit. "Cohen," she said softly.

Seth shook his head. "No, Summer, don't worry about it. This isn't about me and you right now. We've got an 'indefinite' amount of time to work that out as your superiors at Cosmo would say. I'm just saying you have to work this out with your parents, because I know you. You know your dad loves you, but he's in love with your mom, which can sometimes make a man kind of powerless. And I know you love your dad more than anything, and I know that, despite her mistakes, your mom means a lot to you, too. For once, don't let your stupid pride get in the way."

She looked up at him, half-amused, half-impressed that he had so sternly put her in her place. "Well, Cohen. Has someone finally grow some balls? The Cohen I know, or should I say, knew, would have never spoken to me like that without fear of death by rage blackout."

He laughed slightly. "I guess as I've grown and matured I've realized," he said, rising and grabbing his shoes, "that you're just a tiny little brunette with a whole lot of attitude and nothing to back it up," he finished quickly before taking off down the beach.

"Oh, is that right?!" she shouted after him running to catch up with him, and succeeding by tackling him into the sand. They lay there for a moment, laughing and attempting to catch their breath, Summer's parent drama momentarily forgotten.

Summer rolled herself off to the side and pressed her cheek against Seth's chest as he lay with his arm around her and his cheek resting on the top of her head. "You're right, Cohen, you know." He looked at her questioningly and she continued. "About my parents and everything. I've been in the same position as them a number of times, but I was just too stubborn to realize it. Thanks."

"Hey, it's no problem, that's what I'm here for. But could you say it one more time?"

"Say what?"

"That I'm right," he said with a smirk on his face that quickly vanished when she smacked him on the chest. "Or just hit me, and I'll relish in the fact that I've already heard it once."

She rolled her eyes at him, but snuggled a little closer as the wind picked up. "So what now? It's a little too cold to hang out at the beach anymore."

"Well, we could go back to my house and try to finish off the holiday with the family," he offered. At Summer's head shake, he racked his brain to think of another idea. "Or we could pick up another bottle of vodka, or something less strong, and finish our Chrismukkah aboard the Summer Dream."

"I like that idea. I think I've had enough family time for the day," she said, picking herself up off of Seth's chest and brushing the sand off of her clothes. She rose to her feet and offered him a hand, which he accepted after grabbing their blanket and his shoes.

As they walked down the beach towards the car, Seth spoke. "Sum, I know you have a lot on your plate right now, and I don't want to add to that by any means, actually quite the opposite. But I was hoping that when you have time, we could sit down and actually talk about—"

"Us, I know," she said quietly, looking down into the sand. "I'm not trying to make this any harder on you or confuse you, Seth, it's just…"

"I know it's a lot, and that's why I was hesitant to say anything," he said, turning to face her as they arrived at the car. He set his shoes and blanket down and put a hand on each side of her face. "It's just, Summer, I know without a doubt that I love you. I have for more than half of my life now. But if you don't feel the same way, I have to know, because this," he motioned between the two of them, "is what I want forever. And if you don't, I'll still care about you and love you, even, but if it's not forever, it can't be now either. Because it'll hurt too much in the end."

Summer had managed to keep eye contact for most of his speech, but at some point, tears welled in her eyes and she had to find something else to look at. Realizing he was finished talking, she quickly wiped her eyes and nodded, before looking up to meet his gaze. "I love you, too, Seth," she said sincerely, swiping her hand across his cheek. "And I promise I'll figure it out soon."

He nodded his head, seeming to understand, but also feeling a little dejected. He held her gaze for another moment, before kissing her forehead and breaking contact to move around to the driver's side of the vehicle.

**A/N: Not my best effort, but I've written worse. I kind of liked it personally. Tell me what you think…and I have a little survey question for the review. I was just wondering if there were any crucial things that you were surprised weren't addressed on the show itself. I have three: 1) Seth's birthday 2)Seth and Summer sailing to Tahiti…or sailing at all for that matter 3) Summer's mom. Let me know what you guys think about the story and the question!**


	18. Dinner Plans

"**A New Edition"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 18: Dinner Plans**

It had been three days since Chrismukkah, and Summer had still not made a decision concerning Seth or her parents. Seth had returned back to L.A., and she had remained in limbo at Ryan and Marissa's apartment.

With the wedding to take place in just four days, Seth and Summer had arranged to meet at Seth's loft in L.A. to discuss the party they'd be throwing for their friends the following night. Much to the dismay of them both, Ryan and Marissa had not been up for the idea of separate bachelor and bachelorette parties, so the two had tried to plan the best night of co-ed club-hopping they could manage.

Despite the major elephant in the room, or the question of would they, wouldn't they, the two brunettes had managed to keep things pretty friendly during the planning period.

"Ok, so you got the limo, yes?" Summer asked, looking up from her check list.

"Affirmative," Seth replied, relieved that he had managed to complete his one task correctly.

"Good. So I've got the VIP lounges booked for Hyde—" Summer was cut off at Seth's chuckle, to which she threw a death glare, before continuing. "As I was saying, Hyde, Sky Bar, Whiskey Bar, and the Viper Room. If we leave at around 9, spend about two hours at each place, we're looking at a 5 a.m. finish. Should be a good night."

"Woo, I have to make sure I get plenty of sleep tonight. It's nice that I'm my own boss and am able to afford the days off," he replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, well at least you have a job," she mumbled, still looking down at her list and occasionally scribbling notes. "Well, I think we're finished," she said, looking up and putting her notebook in her tote.

"Hey, I didn't mean for that comment about being my own boss to piss you off. Have you figured out what you're going to do yet?" Seth said, in an apologetic, yet caring tone.

Summer sighed. "Well, for now, I guess I'm going to become a temporary fixture on the west coast, assuming I find a place to live that isn't the Newlyweds' or my dad's."

"Still haven't talked to him, huh?"

"Nope. And I don't really plan on it until I can find the right words to say, ya know? I just kind of want to figure things out first, so I don't go all rage blackout on his ass and ruin our relationship permanently."

"Well, Sum," Seth said, putting a hand on her knee, "I'm pretty sure that he would like to hear anything from you at this point. You know he loves you and not speaking is probably killing him as much as it is obviously killing you."

She nodded, knowing he was right, but not willing to say it out loud. She was also a little preoccupied with his hand on her knee, as it had been the first time they had touched since Chrismukkah morning when they woke up and went their separate ways. Summer coughed a little and shifted, causing their contact to break. "So, uh, what are you doing for dinner, Cohen? I could really use something before the drive back to the Atwood-Cooper pad."

Seth hesitated before answering. "I, uh, actually, I can't tonight."

Summer looked at him and raised her eyebrow curiously. "Hot date, tonight?"

His cheeks reddened a bit at this comment. "No, not really. Just a dinner with a neighbor." He paused. "And her, uh, kid, actually."

The petite brunette sat staring for a minute at his reddened cheeks and averted gaze, not knowing whether or not to be jealous. "Oh, well, yeah, that's fine. I can eat by myself. People do it all the time," she said quickly, standing to gather her things and rushing towards the door.

Seth sat for a minute frozen in his position, not exactly sure how to take Summer's behavior, but knowing that he needed to act fast before she blew his friendly neighborhood dinner completely out of proportion. "Wait, Summer. You're welcome to stay, there will be plenty of food, and like I said, it's not a date. It's just Jill and Peter. I taught Peter how to skateboard a few months ago, and I've been bringing him every issue of Atomic each week, and occasionally we get together for dinner. It's just kind of a fun thing really, and I don't have an over abundance of friends in L.A., so, ya know…" he trailed off.

Summer looked on as Seth rambled to explain the situation and realized that she had no right to be jealous of whatever he decided to do, as she was the one who had ended their engagement. She didn't want Seth to move on, but she knew that if he did, it couldn't bother her. Realizing she didn't want to stand in his way of happiness, she just shook her head. "No, it's ok, Cohen. I don't want to intrude. You have fun," she said before turning to leave.

Seth grabbed her hand before she was completely out the door and gently pulled her back into the loft, shutting the door behind her. Summer watched, silently, as he took her bag and set it on the table next to the door, and took her coat from her shoulders and placed it on the hook. As she looked up at him questioningly, he answered. "You are trying to make a Summer Roberts escape right now. And I, for once, am not going to allow it. This is just a friendly dinner, and as you are my, uh, friend, well, uh, one of the best actually, I want you to stay."

Summer pondered this for a moment. "Well, I guess, if you insist," she said with a shy smile.

He met her with his dimples, causing her to blush. "I do. Now come on. Our meeting ran a little over. I have to get this bird in the oven or we'll be eating at midnight," he said in his dorkily cute way, heading into the kitchen and leaving an amused Summer behind to follow.

It was 8 pm now, and the party of four sat at the dining room table with empty plates in front of them.

"And all the kids at school totally think it's awesome that I know the writer of Atomic County," the 8 year old Peter told the adults with a big smile on his face. "And well, Seth, me and my mom were going to ask…" he started looking at his mom for help.

"Sorry, Seth. We were going to ask if you could come to Peter's birthday party, and maybe bring some issues with you as party favors for the kids," Jill explained, seeming a bit nervous and embarrassed.

"Well," Seth started, pretending to ponder their request, "I guess I could manage something. I mean, after all, you will be nine and—"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" the small boy screamed, running to throw his arms around Seth's neck.

Summer couldn't help but smile, as she watched her ex interact with the small boy. She had always imagined that Seth would make an amazing father, but actually seeing him with a kid kind of confirmed everything for her. Shaking herself from her thoughts, she realized that everyone else in the room had returned to their positions and were now sitting in silence. "Well, Cohen, since you made us such a nice meal, I guess I can for once lift the no household chores rule, and wash the dishes for you," she said, as she stood to clear the plates.

Seth had an expression of mock shock on his face. "Oh my god, alert the tabloids. Summer Roberts is doing the dishes." He laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, Seth, why does she always call you Cohen?" Peter asked, curiously. "It's kind of like how Little Miss Vixen always calls the Ironist 'Conan' instead of his real name."

Seth looked at Summer, and they shared a smile. "It kind of is like that, and if you haven't noticed, Little Miss Summer, kind of has the same attitude of a certain Vixen, too."

The small boy sat for a second thinking about this, before his eyes got big as realization dawned on him. "Oh my god! Summer, are you--?"

Summer lowered herself to the boy's level and her voice to a whisper. "Shh! You can't tell anyone, ok? It's a big secret. Can you keep that for me?" she ruffled his hair, and stood, taking the dishes into the kitchen.

Peter sat with an amazed look on his face, causing Seth and Jill to laugh. "I think I'll go help Summer with the dishes," Jill said, "Can you two keep each other company?"

"We'll manage," Seth replied with a smile. "What do you wanna do, buddy?"

"Playstation?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he replied before ushering Peter into his gaming room.

"I hope you realize that Seth is slowly brainwashing your child into his geeky ways," Summer joked to Jill, passing her a dish to dry.

"Yeah, well, it's not so bad. And hopefully that means he won't grow up to be a conceited Jock," she replied with a shrug, taking the dish.

"There are worse things than being like Cohen," Summer said with a nod, settling into silence as they continue to wash and dry the dishes. "So, have you known Seth long?"

"Um, just a few months. I guess Peter met him when he was trying to skateboard outside of the complex one day, and when I realized he wasn't a creepy pedophile, we started to hang out a little, and now we try to have dinner a few times a month."

"That's cool," she replied. "So, um, do you ever hang out, just you and Seth, ya know?"

The blonde woman looked at Summer curiously, but answered the question. "Once when Peter was at his grandma's we watched a movie, but usually I always have Peter, so not so much."

She nodded in response. "And do you have a boyfriend? Or ya know, is Peter's dad around?"

"No. His dad was my boyfriend in college, but he freaked when he found out I was having Peter. I tried to get in touch with him when Peter was born and for his first few birthdays, but when I realized he wasn't interested, I stopped. I think Peter's ok with it, though."

"He's a great kid. So cute and smart and funny," Summer said, sincerely. "My mom left when I was younger and just recently tried to get into contact with me. I mean, I've always wondered about her and everything, but I don't have any complaints about just growing up with my dad, you know? I'm sure you do a great job."

"Thanks. That means a lot," she replied. Her brows knitted together in what seemed like thought for a minute before she set the towel down and crossed her arms across her chest, leaning against the counter. "Summer, you know he loves you. I mean, I got the idea that with the 20 questions you were wondering if we'd ever dated or anything," Summer blushed at this statement, but Jill just shrugged and continued. "Truth be told, I thought Seth was the perfect guy when we met. Cute, successful, funny, great with Peter, but the problem being that he was in love with another woman. It took be about ten minutes to figure that out after our first 'adult' conversation."

Summer sighed. "I know that, ya know? You must think I'm crazy for being the psychotic ex-fiance, what with the interrogation about your relationship and all. It's just—"

"You guys have a history, I get that. I'm sure that love isn't the problem after seeing the way that you both look at each other. And I don't want to get in the middle by any means. But if it helps, he would do anything for you. He is completely in love with you. No question," she replied, comfort and sincerity etching her features.

The brunette looked up and met her gaze with grateful eyes. "Thanks, for saying that and for not thinking of me as a complete looney." The two shared a laugh. "You know, I am moving back to the west coast temporarily, and I think we should totally get together sometime. You know, leave Peter with Seth, get some coffee, or better yet, shopping."

"Honestly, that would be great. I never get a chance to go out, but if Seth would watch Peter…" she trailed off.

"Like you said, he'd do anything for me, right? And since my best friend is getting married in four days, I'm sure she will be unavailable for the next few months."

"That's a little evil, using your power over Seth to get him to babysit," Jill paused. "But I think I like it." The two laughed, before agreeing to go check on the boys.

"So, coffee, sometime next week?" Jill asked as they all stood in the doorway saying their goodbyes.

"Totally. And you'll have the best babysitter in the world," Summer said, patting Seth on the back. Seth rolled his eyes in response, but flashed a smile anyway.

"And Summer, or," Peter lowered his voice to a whisper, "Little Miss Vixen. Would you come with Seth to my birthday party?"

She smiled and squatted down to his level. "Of course I will. But remember…"

Peter put his fingers to his lips, pretending to zip them shut and throw away the key. Summer gave him a thumbs up and said goodbye.

When Jill and Peter had gone back downstairs to their apartment, Seth and Summer sat on the couch, both seemingly exhausted.

"That was really fun, Cohen. Thanks for making me stay," she said, breaking the silence from where she sat petting Rooney.

"I'm glad you stayed. And hey, you and Jill really seemed to hit it off."

"She's really cool. I'm glad I met her, seeing as in a few days, my best friend will be legally permanently attached to your brother," she deadpanned.

"Hey, at least then we don't have to constantly wonder if their together or not," he pointed out.

Summer nodded. "G.P., Cohen. Anyway, I better go before it gets too late."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you have a little drive," he said, rising from the couch and offering a hand to help her up. They walked to the door and Seth helped Summer into her jacket and handed her her bag.

"And they say chilvary's dead," she joked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Well, you know," Seth replied, blushing and looking at the ground. Summer placed a finger under his chin and brought his eyes to hers. After what seemed like an eternity, she closed the space between them and placed a soft, sweet kiss on his awaiting lips.

When they pulled apart, he raised an eyebrow at Summer, but was unable to prevent the grin that spread across his face. She simply shrugged her shoulders. "Goodnight, Cohen," she said meeting his gaze and winking, before moving down the hall towards the elevator.

Seth stood in the door frame with his arms crossed and a smile on his face, watching her retreating form. "See ya tomorrow, Summer."

**A/N: Just review. 3**


	19. His and Her Party

"**A New Edition"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 19: His and Her Party**

"Well, Roberts, I've gotta hand it to ya," a slightly tipsy Ryan said from where he stood with Summer at the bar of the final club.

She nodded in response, downing the end of her Cosmo and ordering another. "It's the least we could do for our very own Romeo and Juliet," she said, nudging her friend playfully, "minus the tragic double suicide."

"Right," he said, also finishing the end of his beer and asking for another. "So, is everything locked down for Saturday night. Do you and Seth know what you're doing?"

Ryan had wanted to make his and Marissa's wedding night memorable, so he had enlisted the help of his brother and friend to sneak into their hotel room between the wedding and the reception to create a romantic ambience to greet his new wife upon arrival.

"Yup. I've got all of the flowers and petals and candles ordered and inspected, and it should all be good to go. Assuming that Super Nerd doesn't spoil the surprise," she said, motioning across the club to where Marissa and Seth were laughing and chatting, obviously both feeling the effects of the booze. Ryan's eyes got big as if he was worried, but Summer just shook it off. "Seriously, Atwood, I can't believe you guys are finally getting married. I mean, you've come through so much, but it seems like in the end, we always all knew what would happen, and now it is."

He nodded and a small smile formed on his face. "It's nice that we'll finally be together forever, ya know? I mean, technically we could get divorced, but—"

"No, I know what you mean. No more breakups over stupid things, and no more wondering. It's permanent. Well, according to law, which has never exactly meant that much to you, now has it?" she drunkenly joked, causing them both to laugh.

"So, you know I never like to get in the middle of this stuff, but—"

"Seth told you that I kissed him. Not surprised. I kind of knew in the back of my mind he was calling you whilst I was driving back to the house."

"He loves you, you know," the blonde stated seriously.

Summer, suddenly felt herself becoming equally serious and refused to make eye contact for several seconds. When she did, she quickly averted her gaze and looked towards Seth, who was now goofily dancing with her best friend. She let herself smile at this, before replying to Ryan's previous statement. "I do know that. And you know…well, you know how I feel, too. It's just complicated. To say the least."

"You know I'm not taking sides, it's just—"

"I have to choose. I know. And in many ways, I already have chosen. I just can't jump right back into something. I know I should, but I can't do it again. I'm not wired that way, when I'm hurt my defense mechanism is to shut everyone and everything out. You of all people are familiar with that," she said, raising in eyebrow in the direction of her present company.

He nodded. "I do, and that's why, as someone who has experienced similar things with the beautiful woman I am about to marry, I am telling you that taking the plunge is completely worth it."

They stood for a few more minutes, sipping their drinks and watching the crowd of people around the club. Summer set her finished drink down on the bar and turned back to Ryan, reaching up to give him a tight hug. "Thanks, Chino."

"Anytime."

"I honestly think that's the most you and I have ever said to one another in a single sitting," she laughed, pulling back. "But I better go retrieve bird brain before he drunkenly opens his out of control mouth."

"Good plan," he said, offering his arm, "Shall we?" The two started walking across the club towards Seth and Marissa.

Meanwhile, the very drunk pair stood on the opposite side of the room having a similar conversation.

"Ya know, Cohen, in retrospect, I probably shouldn't have shunned you all of those years. You're a pretty decent guy."

"Well, I don't like to brag, but…"

"Or maybe not," Marissa laughed, raising her shot glass to his before tilting her head back in taking the liquor down while Seth did the same.

"I'm just really glad that you make Ryan so happy. I mean, he is my brother, and he means a lot to me, so if you can make him smile and talk, even to the point where he is sometimes ALMOST funny, I'm glad to have you as my sister. Although, it is weird that you are going to be my ex-step aunt and my—"

"Enough, Cohen. Let's leave family out of this for one night, please."

"Sure thing, sis."

Marissa rolled her eyes at this. "So you and Summer?" she half-state, half-asked, raising her eyebrow at Seth.

"Me and Summer. It always comes back to us in the end, doesn't it? It's almost as though I knew when I started liking her at the ripe old age of ten that I was devoting myself to a lifetime of the happiness slash constant bickering and breaking up that she and I bring upon each other." He sighed, looking up to see his beautiful brunette love chatting with his brother at the bar.

"She'll come around, Seth. I mean, as much as she denies it, we all know that you and her are meant to be. Besides, what's this I hear about a kiss?"

"Are you referring to the one we shared last night? Because if you are, did she tell you? And when she told you was she all 'it was really nice' and giddy and stuff, or was she like 'what the hell was I thinking, Coop?'?" he rambled.

"Whoa, you may be more mature, but your mouth is still able to out run your brain. She didn't tell me, Ryan did." She paused, before adding, "and don't call me Coop."

"I didn't call you Coop, the hypothetical Summer called you Coop. Anyway, yes, we shared a kiss, which might I add was initiated by her, and I actually think it was probably the most intense kiss I've ever had. I mean, there wasn't tongue or anything, but—" Seth stopped when he saw Marissa staring back at him in complete disgust. "Right. You probably don't really want the details. But it was good and confusing and right and ah! Do you see what this woman does to me?"

She laughed at this and put a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, I do, but don't get too worked up over it. I mean, you want to get back together with her, so it would seem to be a step in the right direction. And you and I both know that Summer doesn't really forgive easily," Seth scoffed at this, "Ok, so maybe a bit of an understatement, but if she's already initiating kisses and gazing at you longingly, then it's obvious that she's probably willing to give you a second chance."

His eyes darted up at the last part. "Gazing at me longingly? When? Where?" Marissa just nodded behind Seth, and he turned to see Summer and Ryan still chatting at the bar.

"Well, she was, like, 2.5 seconds ago. Anyway, that's not the point, Seth, the point is, just give her time, you know that sometimes she needs some time."

He nodded at this, and they sat in silence for a few seconds. When the waitress came around, Seth ordered two shots and set one in front of himself and the other in front of Marissa. "Thanks for the advice," he said smiling, "Now, this one's for you and my brother and a long, happy, and hopefully, uncomplicated marriage." They both took their glasses and clinked them together before quickly draining them and slamming them back down on the bar table.

A moment later, Ryan and Summer approached, the former wrapping his arms around Marissa and planting a firm kiss and the latter stepping over near Seth. "What were you two talking about?" she asked, raising her eyebrow accusingly at the curly headed brunette.

"Oh, nothing, you know, just the usual stuff that Marissa and I talk about it," he stuttered suspiciously back.

"Right, 'cause you two are just regular chatting buddies," Ryan replied dryly.

"Let's dance!" Marissa exclaimed drunkenly to Ryan, before grabbing his hands and dragging him out onto the dance floor, where she proceeded to bump and grind into her future husband while he stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do.

"So what were you really talking about, Cohen?" Summer asked when they were alone at the table.

"It was really nothing," he said, shaking his head and looking down. When he looked back up and met her expectant gaze, he added, "I was just saying it's kind of cool that she's going to sort of be my sister now."

"Yeah, except she used to also be your step aunt, or something. Ew."

He chuckled at this a bit. "I kind of said the same thing, right before we agreed not to talk about family."

"Well, as long as you didn't tell her about the surprise for Saturday night, we're good."

"Nope, not a word about that," he said. They sat in a semi-awkward silence for a few minutes, both attempting not to look at Ryan and Marissa's blatant displays of PDA on the dance floor, before Seth went to the bar and ordered them each a drink.

"Thanks, Cohen," Summer said graciously upon his return.

"Don't mention it," he said, raising his glass to hers before taking a drink. "So, um, how've you been today?"

"Pretty good."

"That's…well, that's awesome."

"Oh, yeah." After another awkward silence, Summer decided that she need to address the issue that was obviously preventing them from carrying on normal, non-awkward conversation. "Look, Cohen, clearly I kind of confused you last night with the…well, you know what I'm talking about. And I'm sorry about that, it's just, you know, I need a little more time to process everything."

He sat silently for a moment, before thoughtfully asking, "What made you kiss me then?"

Summer opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to think of what to say, but finally just sighed. "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to. I mean, seeing you with Peter and how sweet you were for making me stay. I just miss being around you all the time, and I miss touching you. So I kissed you, because I just wanted to do it," she finished, a bit unsure of her answer.

"Well, believe it or not, that's a good enough answer for me right now," he said, offering her a smile. "I know you need time to deal with everything, but is there anyway I could get a dance out of you? I mean, I know that my dancing can sometimes be more than a little embarrassing, but if I promise not to step on your feet or do anything too--"

Summer cut him of by placing a hand over his mouth while setting her drink down on the bar table. She laughed and shook her head before grabbing his hand and pulling him out on to the dance floor.

"Well, will you look at that," Marissa said to Ryan from across the dance floor, nodding her head towards the brunette pair.

"Are you really that surprised?"

"No, but I think with a push in the right direction, you and I might be able to encourage them—or rather, Summer to save us all the trouble of wondering," she said mischievously, before running over to the DJ booth and making a song request.

Seth had Summer laughing as he started doing the robot midway through "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." "I think I'm having second thoughts about your offer for a dance, Cohen."

"Whatever, woman. I know you can't resist these moves."

The two continued to laugh and dance until the song faded out, and they both stopped, panting. "Well, I gotta hand it to you, Co--" Summer stopped abruptly as the familiar strains of Ryan Adam's "Wonderwall" started to echo throughout the club. She and Seth stood motionless for several seconds, unsure of what to do.

After a moment, Seth brought his hand up to Summer's chin, and as their eyes locked, he used one hand to take hers and let the other arm snake around her waist, pulling her towards him. Though Summer seemed to tense up a bit at first, she let herself relax into the familiar embrace, and they swayed slowly to the music as they had so many years before. "Kind of funny, don't you think?" Seth said softly as the first refrain floated through the air.

"I would think so, but I know how conniving my best friend can be," she replied, a bit too sharply. "But it's nice to dance with you to this song again, after everything," she added softly, bringing her head up from his shoulder to meet his eyes.

He found himself drowning in the infinite brown pools that were her eyes for what felt to him like the trajillionth time, but like all of the times before, he couldn't prevent himself from melting. It was the first time that he felt he could really understand all of her insecurities in their relationship, because as much as she tried to act like an emotionless, hard ass, she could never hide anything from him in her eyes. He let out a soft sigh, and pulled her a little bit closer, gently running his hand up and down over the small of her back. "Summer…" She just tilted her head slightly to the side, keeping her gaze fixed on his. Realizing she was curious for him to continue, Seth just shook his head a bit. "I don't know. This is just…it's perfect right now. And you and I, we always have these…well, these moments where, nothing else matters except for the two of us, and I just wish you would see that it's because you and I. Well, you and I are…us."

Though their gaze was still intense, Summer allowed herself to crack a small smile. "Wow, Seth. You and I are us, I'd never have known that," she said dryly, though pulling him a bit closer with her arms, now both on his back, to let him know that she was joking.

He bowed his head, breaking their gaze, and his lips turned up enough to show his dimples. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah," she said, barely above a whisper, reaching up to rest her head in the crook between his neck and shoulder.

As the song finished, Seth and Summer remained in their same position, until a very loud rap song started, and they started getting run into by Marissa's crazy college friends. As they pulled apart, Seth brought both of his hands up to cradle Summer's face and leaned in until their noses were almost touching so she could hear him over the music. "I know that I've tried to win you back a thousand times, and I also know that you just need some time. But, just in case, I haven't said it enough, I'm only waiting for you now, because without you…well," he just smirked. "I love you," he finished before covering her lips with his own.

Though the contact was very soft, Summer's body felt on fire. Realizing she wasn't pulling away, Seth slowly slid his tongue into her mouth and began massaging hers with his own. Needing to be closer, she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck, while his hands moved from her face down to the small of her back. What started out as an innocent few kisses, quickly turned into a full fledged makeout session, and didn't slow down until Seth decided to push Summer back against a wall and lift her up, so their faces were level. "What are you doing, Cohen?" she breathed as she pulled away and met his eyes.

"What do you mean? I thought you were enjoying this," he said, his eyes fixed on her swollen lips, clearly hungering for more.

She nodded her head up and down rapidly, to reassure him that she was, in fact, enjoying it, but freed herself from his grasp and motioned around the club. "It's just, look where we are, and Coop and Chino are here and—"

"If you're worried about them, I think they've already made their exit or are doing the same thing in a different corner," he mumbled as he began to nuzzle and nip her neck.

Summer closed her eyes and arched her back into his kisses, letting a low moan escape her lips, but then quickly realized that he was missing the point. "Cohen!" she said, pushing him away a bit too roughly.

"Jeez!" he said, now rubbing his pecs. "What is the problem? I KNOW you were enjoying that."

She took a step closer and wrapped her arms around his neck, deciding on a different approach. "I think we both know that we are BOTH enjoying this," she said huskily into his ear, nibbling at it all the while, "but my point is, I think this is leading elsewhere, or I HOPE it is."

Seth pulled back, wide-eyed, with eyebrows raised. "Really?" Summer just bit her lip, as she knew it drove him mental, and slowly nodded. "Why didn't you say something? Let's go!" he exclaimed, before picking her up and carrying her towards the exit.

"Cohen!" she half-screamed, half-giggled. "Let me down! We have to say some goodbyes and get our things first. Jeez, one track mind, much?" she said, slapping him on the back.

"Do you blame me? You know when you do that lip thing I get all…well, actually it's kind of obvious," he said, looking down, and then turning slightly away. "I should probably just let you do the goodbyes, actually, but uh, I'll be in the car?"

Summer nodded and gave a small smile, before turning back towards the club, and walking away in a torturingly slow strut.

Seth just stood behind with his mouth open, taking in the view. "Uh, Summer?" he said, his voice cracking.

She turned over her shoulder and looked at him with an amused glint in her eye. "Yes?"

"Well, uh, I was just, uh…ha…making sure we're still going to do that…ah, that thing. Tonight."

"We'll see," she called over her shoulder, before continuing her strut towards the crowd.

When she turned the corner, Seth bowed his head, turned back towards the exit, and let out a shaky breath. "That woman drives me crazy!" he exclaimed, a little too loudly as the bouncer raised an eyebrow at him. Seth just shrugged and received an understanding nod, before heading towards his rover.

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I was backpacking around Europe for the last three weeks…But I do like this chapter. And I hope you do too! Hopefully, there aren't too many errors. Lemme know 0)**


	20. Rehearsal

"**A New Edition"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**Chapter 20: Rehearsal**

Summer groaned as the harsh sun hit her face. She opened her eyes slowly, noticing the intense pain in her head, and took in her surroundings. She was wrapped up in Seth's arms, which she didn't find to be too surprising as she remembered some of the previous night's activities, but she simply couldn't understand why they were sleeping, fully clothed, in the back of his Range Rover.

"Cohen," she whispered, shaking him. When he only snuggled closer to her, she raised her voice slightly. "Cohen. Wake. Up."

"Too early, Summer," he mumbled into her neck, leaving a soft kiss.

She rolled her eyes, realizing he wouldn't move, and disentangled herself from him, moving to sit up. "Seriously, why in the hell are we in the back of your car, in the parking lot of Hyde?"

Seth attempted to respond, but the only words she caught were "too drunk" and "no sex." She then realized that when she had come out to find Seth the previous night, they both knew, despite their drunkenness that neither of them could drive, so they had attempted to hook up on the back of his car, but instead, had passed out. She looked at her watch, and groaned, as it was already eleven, and she was supposed to meet Marissa and Kirsten for lunch at 12 to discuss final wedding preparations before the rehearsal dinner that evening. "Seth," she said in a softer tone, rubbing his back. "Will you please get up? I have to meet Coop in an hour, and I need a lift back to her place to get ready."

He groaned in reply, but slowly rolled over, and blinking several times, finally met her gaze. "Good morning, beautiful," he croaked out, before pulling her down for a soft kiss.

She couldn't help but smile a bit at his endearment. "Morning, Cohen," she said, kissing his cheek in return. "Now can we go?"

Yawning and moving to get up, he nodded and felt around in his suit jacket for the keys. They opened the hatch and climbed into the front seats of the car.

They drove for about ten minutes in silence, before Seth looked at Summer over the top of his sunglasses. "Starbucks? Caramel Frap?"

She smiled at his memory of her favorite hangover cure and nodded. "But make it quick, because it's going to take me awhile to wash off the stench of clubbing."

He laughed at this, before pulling into the parking lot of his favorite, and fastest, drive-thru Starbucks. "So how do you rate the party we put together last night, Roberts? I mean, I know for a Cosmo girl, it wasn't much but…"

"Hey, it's EX-Cosmo girl," she quipped. "But I think it was perfect. Everyone looked like they were having a good time, especially Coop and Chino. Though watching them have their kind of good time is a little nauseating."

Seth shuddered at the memory of his brother and soon-to-be sister grinding and nodded his head in agreement. He then remembered the way in which he found himself engaged the previous night, having flashbacks of making out with Summer up against a wall in the corner of a club. Realizing it was his turn to order, he quickly rattled off two drinks for him and Summer and pulled around.

After receiving their drinks, Seth continued the drive towards Ryan and Marissa's, and they each sat, sipping their drinks and lost in their own thoughts. Seeing as silence never lasted too long for either of them, Summer took the opportunity to ask Seth something that had been on her mind for quite sometime. "Cohen, what is it that keeps drawing you back in? I mean, I know that we're both guilty of it, but why do you continually put up this fight, even in the face of my somewhat irrational behavior?"

He looked sideways at her and raised his eyebrows from behind his glasses. "You're really not one for the light, hangover appropriate conversation, are you, Sum?" She smiled softly at this, but her gaze told him that she was waiting for an answer. He chewed on his bottom lip, and tilted his head to the side, obviously trying to formulate his best response. After a moment, his head shot up, and it appeared that he had found the answer. "This is actually the perfect example. You are crazy," he stated, as though it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"Thanks, Cohen," she replied dryly, though still giving a soft chuckle.

"No, no, no. I mean, we've been together off and on for almost a decade—holy shit, it's been almost a decade—anyway, my point is, usually after that long you would have someone completely figured out. But the truth is, I probably have you just as figured out as I did before we even met. You are spontaneous and mysterious and fiery as hell, and while I'm at it, sometimes, actually most of the time, ha, you scare the beejesus out of me," he stopped to take a breath and let out a long sigh. "But the thing is, that is what continually draws me back to you. I want to figure you out, even if it takes forever, and I am constantly intrigued by all the new facets of you that I learn every time we're together."

He stopped speaking, though it was clear that he wasn't finished, and both just stared out the windshield as they neared closer to Ryan and Marissa's. When Seth finally pulled up in front of the house, he cut off the engine and turned to face Summer. She seemed hesitant to meet his gaze, but after a minute, she raised her eyes, and he took her hand into his. "Summer, I spent the first 16 years of my life bored as hell. Nothing ever challenged me or frustrated me or inspired me or affected me in anyway. But since I've known you, you haven't stopped doing any of those things. And that's why I keep coming back and that's why I love you. You just make me **feel**," he paused and shrugged, "And it doesn't hurt that you are absolutely smokin' hot, either."

Summer laughed slightly at this and leaned in to pull him into a tight hug. "I know it was an intense question, but I wasn't really prepared for such an intense answer," she mumbled.

Seth just laughed. "See what I mean. You're crazy. I don't even know how to answer your questions to your liking."

"I didn't say I didn't like it, I just wasn't exactly prepared," she said, playfully pushing him in the chest. They just sat, content, for a moment. "Will you be my date to the rehearsal dinner tonight?" she asked finally, almost like a shy teenager.

Seth's eyes got wide temporarily, but he quickly shook himself and a wide, dimply grin formed on his face. "I thought you'd never ask, Roberts. But 6:30 sharp. And don't be late, I hate waiting."

She leaned in and gave him a firm kiss on the lips, before gathering her things from the floorboards, and exiting the car.

Seth looked on as she ascended the front steps. She peeked over her shoulder and pushed her sunglasses down, giving him a final smile and a wave, before opening the front door. Looking on, he let out a deep sigh and a small chuckle at the conversation of the last few minutes before putting his car in gear and driving towards his parents, where he would stay for the rehearsal dinner.

Meanwhile, inside, Summer leaned against the front door, letting out a similar sigh and smile as she dropped her purse and Marissa's key on the side table. When she looked up, she was greeted by the matching raised eyebrows of both her best friend and Kirsten.

"Late night, Sweetie?" the older woman inquired first, with a secret knowing smile.

Summer's mouth fell slack, slightly shocked, but she quickly shook her head and held up her hand, as if to demand no further comments. "Ya know what, I'm just gonna go take a shower and get ready as quickly as possible, while you two, who have obviously already formed your own conclusions based on the evidence, gossip."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Marissa said with a gleam in her eyes, "I mean, sure you and Seth were making out pretty hardcore last night, and you didn't return until, well, now, but I'm sure nothing happened at all, right?"

"Can it, Coop. Give me 20 minutes," she said sharply before ascending the stairs to the giggles and murmurs of the other two women. Approximately 35 minutes later, Summer returned to the living room, fresh faced and dressed in skinny jeans tucked into knee length boots with a white tunic top. She clapped her hands to inform the others of her entrance. "So, what are we doing, ladies?"

"Well, we DID have a reservation at the Yacht club for noon, which we've clearly missed," the bride-to-be said, while casting an accusatory look Summer's way, "However, we've called and pushed it back to 10 minutes from now, so let's go," she finished, while standing. The small brunette grabbed her purse and sunglasses before walking out the door and onto the front porch.

Kirsten, who followed behind the younger girls, was not so willing to let the previously discussed issue drop, as the three women sat in the car on their way to the club. "So, Summer, you did a pretty good job of dodging the issue before, but I have to ask, what IS going on with you and my beloved son?"

"I'm sorry, I thought we were here for Marissa's wedding?" she said back in a slightly snarky tone. When she was met with hard looks from both blondes in the front of the car, she rolled her eyes and relented. "Ok, so it's pretty obvious that we're definitely no longer enemies and we're not exactly just friends either."

At this, Marissa snorted. "I'd say by the way Seth's hands and your hands were all over each other's—"

"Ok, enough! He IS my youngest son, Marissa," she cut off. "But if you're not enemies, and you're not just friends, and you're no longer engaged, what exactly are you guys?" Kirsten questioned.

"Well," she started, looking out the window and searching for the words that might lay the issue to rest with the prodding quasi-Newpsies, "Ok. I don't know. Seth and I have never really had the easiest relationship," she raised her hand to silence the chuckles she anticipated, "I know, I know. But we drive each other crazy. In the good way and the bad way, which seems to be mostly what you guys witness. But I can say with complete confidence, that we are slowly figuring out a way," she paused. "Figuring out a way that we can start driving each other crazy only in the good way, while being together. Or something," she finished, unsure, but seemingly content with her answer.

Both blondes sat in the front and seemed to be attempting to digest the information she had just delivered. Marissa turned around and raised her eyebrow. "You totally had sex last night, didn't you?"

"No, Coop! And that's not the point, ok?! Geez," Summer exclaimed, clearly exasperated.

"Well, honey, I happen to think it's great," Kirsten said, shooting a warm smile over her shoulder, while getting out of the car. "However, if Seth's not married by the time he's thirty, I will have no choice but to hold you personally accountable," she joked.

"Ha, ha," she replied dryly, clearly unamused. "I will have you two know that he IS my date tonight."

"Woooo," the women squealed as they all took their seats at their table, to which Summer rolled her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time that morning.

"So, are we actually going to talk about the rehearsal dinner at any point?" she asked, and the conversation for the duration of their meal was successfully shifted.

Seth had sat in his room for the entire day doing what he had always done in high school, reading and cataloging his old comics, listening to Death Cab, and of course, thinking about Summer. Before he knew it, several hours had passed and he was now supposed to be getting dressed for the rehearsal dinner that was to take place in thirty minutes.

Ever since Summer had wanted to make the rehearsal an actual date, he had reverted back to the scared teenager he had been all those years ago. He was worried about what to wear and how she would like it, or if his Jew-fro was going to work with the un-seasonal humidity California was experiencing in December.

He had finally decided on an outfit that was comfortable with just the right amount of dress and casual. He had on grey, flat-front dress slacks, a black button-up oxford shirt, and for once, he opted out of his "dress Chucks" and had polished his black patent leather Kenneth Coles, which he knew would be just right for impressing Summer. Giving himself one last glance in the mirror and a final jooge to his hair, he exited his bedroom to help his parents and brother greet guests.

As he came down the stairs, he flipped his phone out of his pocket and hit the first number on his speed dial. After three rings, the person on the other end answered with a frazzled hello. "Well, hello to you, too, beautiful," he said, smirk evident in his voice.

"Hey, Cohen. Sorry about that, it's just been tough getting ready today for everything," she sighed and lowered her voice, "and dealing with a crazed Marissa AND Julie Cooper have definitely not made it any easier."

"Well, I can't say that I'm sad I missed it, but I was just wondering if I was supposed to pick you up for our date or if you were just going to meet me at the house."

"As much as the offer is appreciated, I'm about five seconds from your doorstep."

"Really?" he said, going towards the front door and opening it to look out. "I can't believe that, seeing as I'm looking outside and I don't see you yet."

Summer rolled her eyes, which despite not being able to see, Seth could hear. "Well, look again, because," she pulled her rental car around the corner and waved out the window.

"Ok, so now you're about thirty seconds from the door," winking at her and shooting a dimply grin.

Putting the car in park, Summer stepped out in a knee-length, royal blue strapless Chanel gown and gorgeous peep toe metallic Manolos. "So, how do I look, Prince Charming?" she said coyly, strutting towards Seth and snapping her phone shut. When she got close enough, she stood in front of Seth with her hands on her hips, clearly waiting for a response. As it was obvious he was not yet close to formulating words, she did a cutesy turn and dip before coming back around to face him. "Oh, come on, Cohen," she said, throwing her hands up in the air, "the speechless act is old."

"Sorry, Summer, it's just…well, you're always so…I mean, you just…" he tried to speak, but his cheeks were reddening by the second and he was clearly flustered.

"I'm hot, I get it. Now, shall we?" she finished for him, taking his arm and turning back towards the mansion.

"And so modest, might I add," Seth quipped, finally completing his first sentence. "Ya know, Sum, the party doesn't start for like," he glanced down at his watch, "another ten minutes. We could always go upstairs and hang out."

The sassy brunette pushed him back and put a hand on her hip, "Uh uh. I don't care how hot I look, or how hot you look for that matter. We are maid of honor and best man, and we have a job to perform tonight. If you're lucky, I'll give you a good night kiss," she shot back. "Now, come here, and let me straighten out your collar."

"I'm hot," Seth said with a smug grin.

"What are you talking about?" she queried, brushing his shoulders off and folding his collar.

"You said I look hot."

She rolled her eyes. "You always look hot, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do anything about it," she said while beginning to withdraw her hands from Seth's shoulders only to have him stop them while encircling his own arms around her waist.

"Well, if you give me one kiss, I promise to be a well-behaved best man for the entire evening," he said softly, inching his face so close to hers that she could smell his spearmint toothpaste.

"You're not very gentlemanly, are you? I mean, we haven't had dinner or danced on this date, and you're already looking for some action," she flirted back.

"It's kind of hard not to want some action when on previous occasions I've seen every inch of your body sans clothes," he pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Well, if you're well-behaved," she said, leaning so that Seth could feel the vibrations from her words on his lips, "you might have the pleasure of a similar sight tonight." She closed the space between their mouths and pulled him tight to her chest as she gave him a kiss that clearly showed her shared desire. "But now, we have to get to the rehearsal," she concluded, pulling apart abruptly and leaving a dumbfounded Seth. "Let's go!"

The rehearsal part of the dinner had gone off almost completely without a hitch, save the not-so-subtle bitchy comments that had readily escaped the lips of Julie Cooper regarding the lack of Ryan's "real" family in attendance. When the dinner had finished, the small crowd of around 25 had lingered for a bit of dancing, but had mostly dissipated.

Seeing as they were never quite the traditional couple, Ryan and Marissa had decided that they were going to spend their last night of single tax status alone together in their house. That left Summer, Seth, Sandy and Kirsten all at the Cohen residence, helping the wait staff clean up after the party. When the last of the caterer trucks had left, the four sat in the back garden, sipping from a bottle of Pinot Kirsten had brought up from the wine cellar.

"I can't believe that Ryan is getting married tomorrow. I feel like it was just yesterday that he moved in with us."

"Mom, seriously, can you at least hold off the waterworks until tomorrow?" Seth sighed, rolling his eyes at his mother's reminiscing.

"Leave her alone, Seth. Marrying off your son is a big thing in a parent's life," Sandy defended.

"Really, Cohen," Summer said, slapping him in the back, "you could at least TRY to be sensitive."

"Well, I'm sorry, but weddings are happy, see, happy," he replied, poking his finger into his dimple and forcing a big smile.

"Ah, Seth," the older blonde sighed. "It's a mother thing. And with that, I'm going to bed. We've got a long day tomorrow."

"Us old Fogies being forced to stay up past midnight is getting harder each year," Sandy quipped and was answered by a collective eye roll from all of his company. "Alright, alright, I get it. I'm off. Seth, I trust you'll make the lovely Summer comfortable," he said winking at his son. When the younger Cohen shot him daggers, he held up his hands, feigning innocence, before shrugging his shoulders and leading his wife towards their bedroom.

After a few moments of silence, Summer rose and grabbed Seth's hand, leading him towards the swing that sat in the back of the yard. Seth sat first and opened his arms, allowing her to snuggle into his side and situate herself, before wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"You're being awfully good right now, Cohen. What gives?" Summer asked, breaking the silence and straining her neck to shoot him an accusatory look.

Seth continued to look out into the distance and just shook his head slightly. "Just lost in thoughts, I guess."

"Well, I don't have a penny to give you, but you could just tell me," she offered.

He let a smirk grace his lips before bending down and placing a kiss on the top of her head. "And here I thought you would enjoy the silence for once."

"As much as your insane ramblings drive me crazy, they're kind of just part of you," she said, turning so she could look up at him without straining and tracing the lines of his face. "And it's kind of creepy when you don't know ramble."

Seth let out a small chuckle and leaned his face into the palm of her hand. "I don't know. Do you ever think about when—if—we'll get married? I just wonder what it will, or I guess, could, be like."

"Are you kidding me? In one way or another, we've been together since we were 16. I'm a girl. A Newport girl at that. Of course I've thought about it. And considering we were engaged until a few months ago, duh, I've completely planned our wedding down to the color of the napkin rings." Seth raised his eyebrows. "Antiqued gold to go with either deep red or burnt orange napkins. I've always envisioned a fall wedding," she explained, whimsically.

Seth smiled at this and nodded. "Sounds like it could be nice." He returned his gaze out into the distance, and the two fell back into a comfortable silence.

After twenty minutes of silence and snuggles, Summer moved to get up, offering her hand out to Seth. "Bed?" Taking her hand, he nodded in agreement and the two made the ascent to his childhood bedroom.

Upon entrance, Seth broke the contact and moved to his dresser to fish Summer out a pair of his boxers and his favorite Death Cab t-shirt. "Do you want to go first or should I?"

"I'll go, but I left my toiletries in the car," she said, putting on her best eyes to hint that he should retrieve them for her.

Seth raised a knowing eyebrow. "How 'bout you take the spare tooth brush that's under the sink and use the girly face goop that mom has in the guest bathroom?"

"Fine," she replied with a dramatic sigh before moving towards the hallway.

As soon as she hit the door, Seth quickly stripped down and changed into the plaid pants and white t-shirt he packed in his overnight bag. When he was finished, he knelt down and fished around until his hand closed around what he was looking for. He stood up, fist clenched around the item, crossed his arms across his chest, and began pacing the room, mumbling to himself under his breath.

When Summer entered the room, she stood by his bed for nearly a minute, observing Seth's odd behavior. Eventually, she got curious. "Cohen, should I, uh, leave? Do you need some alone time or something?"

Seth's head shot up quickly at the sound of her voice and his movements halted. "Sit down," he demanded. Upon realizing the harsh sound of his voice and noticing the shocked look on Summer's face, he softened. "Please."

She simply nodded and took a seat on the edge of the bed, placing her hands on either side of her body and leaning back. "What's going on, Seth?"

"Well," he started, but stopped abruptly and let out a deep breath before crossing the room and kneeling on the floor in front of her, resting his hands on each of her knees. "All of this marriage stuff has really got me thinking. And I mean, I know we've had this conversation a bajillion times and each time it turns out roughly the same. But the thing is, Sum, I want to marry you. Like, right now, if it were possible. And I know in my heart you want the same thing. But we've had our rough spots and you've needed some space recently, et cetera. Well, I've decided I'm not going to propose to you again." At the sad and surprised look that crossed Summer's face, he moved in closer and pressed his palm to her cheek. "Look, I love you more than, I don't know, everything. And I want you to know that any time you're ready, I'm more than ready to marry you, to make you pregnant, whatever you want." They shared a small laugh.

"But this time, the action is on you. The metaphorical ball is in your metaphorical court. I'm not giving up the fight, I'm just giving you the power. And that is why I am giving this back to you," he said, pulling the small Tiffany box out of his pajama pants' pocket and offering it up to her. "When you are ready to be engaged again and to seriously consider getting married, you have your ring. It doesn't have to be some grand romantic gesture or anything at all, you just have to put it on and let me know that you are ready to commit, because I am ready, and I'm not going anywhere."

Summer glanced down at the box in her hands for the first time and began opening it and closing it. "I don't know when that will be, though, Seth. I mean, I still have to work through a few more of my demons. I don't want to continue to put you through all the bullshit and pain and drama. I want to get married when there's no more drama," at Seth's snort she corrected herself, "or at least LESS drama."

He slid his finger under her chin and raised her eyes to meet his own. "I know that, and that's why I want you to be in control of the situation. I'm fine with how things are at the moment. We're getting along better than we have in a long time. I mean, our relationship isn't really definable at this stage, but whatever it is, it is making me happy, albeit a bit confused as well, but happy nonetheless. I'm perfectly content doing what we're doing. Anything's better than the six year drought I had going before you came back into my life."

Summer smacked his chest. "You always have to ruin the moment, don't you?" Seth just shrugged. She looked back down at the ring before closing the box and placing it on the nightstand. "I will give that some time to soak in. But now I think," she said, taking his hands and pulling him up on the bed, "we should try to get some sleep before the big day tomorrow," she finished as she crashed back onto the bed with him on top of her.

"If you want to get some sleep, you really should try NOT pulling me on top of you," he quipped, pushing himself up on his hands to look down at her with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Just hit the lights, Cohen."

"As you wish, Princess Summer," he replied, standing to get the light and giving a dramatic bow.

"I can't believe the wedding is already tomorrow," Summer said in wonder outloud.

"I know what you mean," he said, snuggling into her back and pulling her close around the waist. "So 7 a.m. wakeup, huh?"

"If I'm there a minute past 8, Coop will go fucking ballistic."

"If you're lucky, I'll give you breakfast in bed," he mumbled into her neck, placing a soft kiss on the way.

"Don't go too far out of your way to put the cream cheese on the bagel and pour the coffee in the cup," she replied dryly.

"Well, I did have something special planned but with remarks like those, you'll be lucky to get anything…And I heard that eyeroll."

After a few minutes of silence, when it seemed that both had drifted to sleep, Summer whispered, "Thank you."

"For what?" he questioned, groggily.

"For understanding my need for space," she explained, cuddling closer into him. "And for giving me the ring back."

Seth's body responded and his legs entwined with Summer's so they were closer together. He smiled into her back and placed a soft kiss on her face before drifting off to sleep.

**A/N: I've had half of this written for about 2 months. Don't be mad. I just moved back to the states from Ireland and there's been a lot of adjusting/catching up with all the family and friends that I haven't had much time to read fic, much less write it. Thanks for badgering me with comments and messages. You guys really motivated to get off my ass again and write this thing. I hope you like it. Read, review, etc. 3 Oh, P.S., VERY rough editing, so don't kill me on the typos and punctuation mistakes. Peace.**


	21. One Marriage and Two Makeups

"**A New Edition"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the O.C. characters or past storylines or anything like that…Those are all property of Mr. Joshua "I'm a Genius" Schwartz.**

**This is devoted to everyone who has kept with this story, and specifically, to WhatItDo--It's the SS update you've been begging for.**

**Chapter 21: One Marriage and Two Makeups**

Seth awoke at exactly 7 the following morning to the irritating sound of his alarm. He quickly rolled over and grabbed his phone from the table, pressing the necessary buttons to silence the alarm. Without opening his eyes he turned back over and let out a soft moan, as he reached to where Summer had been previously laying. His eyes slowly opened when he realized he had, in fact, not made contact with the soft curves of the petite brunette, but rather the fluffiness of his body pillow. Exhaling a deep sigh, he hoisted himself up and stretched his arms in the air, before throwing the blankets toward the end of the bed and descending the hallway stairs.

When he reached the kitchen, he read the note on the counter from his mom aloud.

_Off to L.A. to set up. Meet Ryan at 8 sharp. Don't be late. _

–_Mom_

Seth looked up expecting to see Summer at the kitchen table, but she wasn't there. He went to the front door and opened it, looking out to see if her car was still there, and upon seeing it, he realized she had to be somewhere in the vicinity of the house. Giving up for the time being, he went back into the kitchen and poured himself a cup of the freshly brewed coffee. As he raised the cup to his mouth, he looked out the window that overlooked the back of the Cohen estate. He smiled when he finally spotted her, sitting at the edge of the pool, tracing circles with her toes in the water. Seeing that she didn't have a cup of coffee with her, he moved back towards the maker and poured her one and then cut and schmeared a poppyseed bagel for her.

He exited the house and crossed the patio to where she sat. "For you, my lady," he said, presenting her the cup of coffee and bagel.

Summer, looked up with a mild start, and let a slow sleepy grin stretch across her face before she reached out both hands to take the awaiting mug and plate. "Thanks, Cohen," she replied, her voice still slightly hoarse from her sleep.

They both sat for a few minutes, content with just sipping their coffee and stuffing their faces with the bagels. A small smirk formed on Seth's face. "You know, I'm a little disappointed that you didn't follow through on those advances you made on me last night when you got here."

Summer rolled her eyes in reply and through a small piece of bagel at him. "I wasn't the one who suggested that we skip the party to have a romp upstairs."

"Touché," he nodded in agreement. "But I wasn't the one who gave you a passionate kiss, only to pull away like a total tease," he threw back, also returning the piece of bagel she had previously launched his way.

"Hey! I was just acting on the moment. I could have just as simply not kissed you, or even slept in your bed for that matter. If I would've known that's what you preferred."

"No, no, no," he conceded. "I am perfectly happy with how things turned out. I was just giving you trouble," he paused. "Although, I was more than a little disappointed to wake up in a cold, empty bed this morning."

"Yeah," she said softly, "Sorry about that. I just woke up at about 5:30, thinking about everything that has been going on lately in my life, my job, Marissa's life, the wedding, you and I couldn't fall back asleep. So I came down here to look out into the distance. It always seemed to work for Marissa in high school," she shrugged.

Seth looked at her with something between complete and utter adoration and a small amount of sympathy in his eyes. He carefully moved their coffee cups and plates to the side and reached his arms out to pull her into his arms. "You've always got so much going on up here," he said, tapping a finger lightly against her head, before smoothing her hair with his hand.

"You have to admit, there's been a lot to deal with lately on the Summer front," she said, snuggling her face into his chest. "The unforeseen parental issues, the unforeseen job loss, the unforeseen—or not so unforeseen—reuniting with you. I came here to help my best friend get married, and I feel like since the day I landed, my life has been turned upside down for, like, the millionth time."

"Well, at least part of that is good though, right? I mean, in my book, us have a--" Seth began to pretend counting on his fingers "--seventh or eighth chance is a pretty good thing. Actually, the best thing. And even though Cosmo sucks—wait, is that like blasphemy?—Anyway, even though you lost your job, do you really want to work for them if one little mistake is blown way out of proportion? And the whole thing with your parents. I know you're angry now, but I feel like it's what you've always wanted. To understand your mom issues and to know your mom like you used to. And for your dad to be happy again. So, in conclusion, I think everything is a little jumbled right now, but it'll work out, and in the end you'll be a whole lot better for it," he dropped a small kiss on her forehead as he finished.

Summer sat for a minute, digesting Seth's long winded evaluation of her life. She let out a deep sigh. "I know you're right—"

"I'm sorry. Could you say that one more time?"

Summer just glared. "Like I said, I know you're right. BUT. It's just been a lot to take in all at once. I mean, I know that everything will work itself out. I know I'll find a job. I mean, hell, I worked at Cosmo. Any of the rival magazines would probably gladly take me on. And you and I. Well, we're just us, so it's not like we're embarking on an adventure in strange, new territory. I guess it's the parents thing that I'm really hung up on. I mean, when you have questionable parental relationships growing up, it's something that really affects every aspect of your life. It's going to take time before I can just fully embrace their rekindled love, and my mom's reappearance in my life after being absent for the better half of it. I know I'll be happy in the end that I have both of them in my life again. These things just take time."

"I know that, Sum. And they even know that. But call me psychic or someone who just knows you well enough to know that the reason you are sad right now, is because of what's going on with your dad and mom and the fact that you haven't spoken with either of them since the drama went down. And if you keep letting the anger fester inside of you and don't just let it go, it could really end badly for everyone. I know you, and I know you miss your daddy. I hate to say this, but you may just have to be the bigger person and swallow your pride to try and make things right again."

She looked up at Seth with an almost scared look on her face. "How can you be right twice in one day, much less twice in one sitting?"

He feigned hurt. "I'll have you know that in my age and the time we've spent apart, I've been known to be right even 3 times a day, thank you very much." He pulled her close and gave her the biggest, warmest hug he could muster.

Summer closed her eyes and let herself feel close to Seth. She loved that just an embrace from him could shut her off from all of her thoughts for the time being and just be happy in the moment. He had a calming effect on her that no one in her life could rival, not Marissa, not her dad, not even her mother, who had been the closest one in her life until she was 13. "Thanks for the chat, buddy," she whispered, squeezing him with all of her might, before pulling away.

"Anytime for a girl as pretty as you," he smiled, letting her enjoy the sight of his dimples.

"You really know how to bring the cheese to any occasion, Cohen," she quipped, though not being able to control her own smile. "And with that being said, I do believe that we are going to be shot since there is no way we are making it to L.A. in 20 minutes."

Seth's eyes got wide and he looked down at the watch he wore on his right arm. "Shit," he mumbled, noting that the time was indeed 7:41. The two quickly got up and deposited their mugs and plates in the dishwasher before rushing upstairs and grabbing their things. Seth decided to allow Summer to drive this once, because he knew that if anyone was going to get them their without being too late, it would be her and her crazy ass driving techniques.

As they pulled into the parking lot of the Four Seasons exactly one hour later, Seth let out a sigh of relief. "Thank-fucking-Jesus and Moses, woman! You are crazy."

Summer just shrugged and smirked. "It did the job, didn't it?" She reached around to begin gathering her things from the back seat, when Seth put a hand on her arm to stop her movements. "Cohen, we're already late. I really have no desire to die today."

He reached up and put his finger to her lips. "We're already late. 43 minutes to be exact. I was just thinking we could use the extra 17 to make it an hour." He leaned in and placed a soft, open mouthed kiss on her lips. After a few seconds, when she hadn't yet pulled away to protest, he began kissing her with more urgency, snaking his arms around her back to pull their upper bodies closer together.

Summer moaned at his advances and let herself melt for a moment, thoroughly enjoying the way that his tongue navigated her mouth and his hands knew exactly where to move on her body in order to make her feel this week. Suddenly, an alarm went off in her head, and she abruptly pushed back.

"What the hell? I was just getting started."

"Cohen, need I remind you that best friend is way more violent than yours—"Seth laughed at this—"Ok, so maybe not more violent, but WAY more psycho. And if I am more late than I already am, you may not ever have the chance to even touch my body again."

"Alright, I see your point," he reasoned, using his hands to pull her in one more time, and planting a kiss on her lips that clearly expressed his hesitation in letting go. "But you did just give me enough energy to get through the rest of the day, so I hope you realize that your tardiness is worth something."

She smiled at this and leaned her head forward to give him a short, yet meaningful kiss. "I'm glad I could be of service. And with any luck, your hotel room may be of service later, when we have a few hours between the wedding and the reception." She reached back to grab her things, laughing slightly at the childishly hopeful look that appeared on Seth's face at her last comment. They both moved to exit the car, which had fogged up slightly from their brief, passionate encounter.

As they walked toward the entrance to the hotel, Seth grabbed Summer's hand. "Were you being serious about what you said back there?"

"Only slightly. I'm not sure how easy it will be to escape the iron grip that Julie and Coop will undoubtedly have on me throughout the day," she stopped and faced him as they reached the lobby. "But I will try my best," she promised while reaching up to hug him around the neck and placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Hey," he shrugged, breaking their contact and begin to walk toward the elevators, "at least you give a guy hope."

When Summer reached the outside of the suite that was designated for the bride and bridesmaids to get ready, she started stressing out. Though she was not inside the room, she could already hear Marissa shrieking at her mother to "leave her the hell alone." She knocked, hesitantly, almost wishing that no one would answer so that she didn't have to be dragged into the middle of yet another inane argument between her best friend and her evil mother.

The door swung open to reveal a clearly frazzled Marissa. "Thank GOD you're FINALLY here! Will you please tell my BITCH of a mother that I am not styling my hair in that ratty 80's style that she wore in her wedding?!"

Summer rolled her eyes, but walked into the room, set her things by the bed and turned around to begin mediating. "Mrs. Cooper-Nichol. You know that people will be expecting the highest fashion in Marissa's wedding since she is the princess of Newport. And though your hair looked really hot for 1985, it is simply not going to work for Marissa and the style of dress she is wearing today." After about 20 minutes of bickering back and forth, and much insistence from both Summer and the hairstylist, Julie gave in and agreed that Marissa could do what she wanted, as long as she still wore the pearl necklace that she had worn on her wedding day.

The girls now sat next to each other having their hair styled and nails polished at the same time. "Thanks, Sum," Marissa said, meeting her gaze in the mirror that was in front of them.

"Hey, that's what I'm here for. I'm just sorry I was late so that the disaster couldn't have been averted sooner."

"Why were you late, anyway? Were you and Cohen getting it on again last night?" she prodded with a devilish grin on her face.

"Coop! For the last time, we did not even get it on two nights ago when you think we supposedly did, and last night, even less happened. We just cuddled and talked. He actually told me that he's not going to propose to me again," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"What?! Is he joking? How can he do this to you? I mean, all he wants is you and he never tries to hide that fact. And now he tells you that he's never going to propose to you again? What an assh—"

Summer abruptly cut off her friend, who was really getting pissed off. "You didn't let me finish. He says that he knows that I know what he wants. And he's pretty sure he knows what I want too. And since it's really only me who's holding this whole process up, he's putting the ball in my court." She reached down to her purse to grab out the small Tiffany box and opened it up to show her friend. "He basically gave this back to me and said that when I'm ready to seriously begin to think about getting married, I can just put this back on, and we'll be together again. Engaged again."

Marissa thought about this for a moment, still not quite sure that she understood, but let a sweet smile cover her face in the end. "I think that's really sweet. He's giving you the power to decide when you're ready."

"Yeah," Summer replied wistfully. "I mean, I kind of feel bad, though. What am I waiting for anymore? He's the love of my life. We learned that in the miserable six years that we were apart, and really, even before that. I've loved him since I was 16, and he's been the best person to me. I just can't seem to say, ok, we'll do it," she sighed. "Six months ago, I felt so ready. I really was going to be Mrs. Summer Cohen. I even started looking into the process of getting my name changed and everything. I don't know what's wrong with me. I love him so much, I can't even describe it, yet I still have this fear."

Marissa reached out the hand that was finished drying and placed it on Summer's shoulder. "I know it's hard. Sometimes when you love someone, you feel like you are just completely losing yourself. I mean, sometimes I think that is why I got so depressed in high school and was into all the drinking and partying. I loved Ryan so much, but it just seemed like it was never going to work out. But when you love someone, you just have to let go. You have to take the chance or you'll always have regrets in life," she pulled her hand away from the manicurist, indicating that she needed a second, and turned so she was fully facing her best friend. "You love Seth, with all of your heart, but you're still letting this fear control you and your decisions. Just let it go, Sum. Let go of whatever is holding back from loving Seth completely and just be with him. It's the best advice I can ever give you. If you let go of yourself for love, you'll be a better person for it."

At the end of her speech, Summer and Marissa both had tears welling up in their eyes. The petite brunette leaned in to hug her best friend, both careful not to mess up their hair or chip their nails. "I love you, Chino," she whispered, causing both of them to giggle.

"I love you, too, Cohen," she said, smiling brightly at her best friend.

"I can't believe you're getting married today. I feel like it's the end of an era," Summer stated, her hand still on Marissa's arm.

"Well, we did always know I'd be the first to go," she laughed in response. "Although we also thought I was going to get married to Luke."

Summer reached over and grabbed their two flutes that were already filled with champagne. She handed one to Marissa, and cleared her throat, indicating that she was going to make a speech. "Well, here's to marrying off my best friend to the second best guy in Newport. And to NOT marrying her off to Luke," both laughed at this and sipped from their champagne.

Marissa then raised her glass to make a toast. "Here's to letting go. And to my best friend, who will undoubtedly be in my position soon enough. May she know that marrying her true love is the only thing that can make her truly happy." They both sipped and Summer thanked the blonde with her eyes.

"Now I think it's time we finish getting ready. We have to marry you in an hour and a half!" Summer exclaimed. The two went back to getting their manicures and their hair done, laughing and giggling at stupid gossip and reminiscing about their good ole single days.

Seth and Ryan sat in two overstuffed chairs in Ryan's suite, already dressed in their suits and staring out into space.

"So man, you ready for the big day?"

"Yes," Ryan replied shortly, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"You seem pretty excited," Seth quipped, sarcasm laced in his tone.

"Oh yeah," the blonde replied, again shortly, nervously.

"Dude, how can you be nervous? This is Marissa. The girl you've been in love with for, like, 10 years. The girl you live with. The girl whose virginity you stole," Ryan shot a glare at him. "Ok, the girl who gladly gave you her virginity wrapped in a nice, neat birthday-like package. But regardless, what could possibly make you nervous?"

"Besides having Julie Cooper as my actual mother-in-law?"

"I do see your point there. But that can't really be all?"

The two sat in silence for a few moments, as Ryan, never the "talker" of the family, tried to gather his thoughts so that he could explain them to his anxious brother. "Do you remember when you started going out with Summer?" When Seth nodded, he continued. "Well, I remember how nervous you always were around her, afraid to do or say the wrong thing, which you always did, but still afraid nonetheless, because you thought one day, she would wake up and realize who she was and who you were and leave you."

"Dude, seriously, thanks for recapping the constant internal misery I went through while dating Summer, but I think I asked about you."

Ryan reached over and smacked Seth on the side of the head. "I am talking about me. Just because I have a little—ok, a lot—more experience with girls than you do, doesn't mean I'm any less afraid of them," he paused. "I know I never really do the whole feelings thing, but seriously, Marissa is the most beautiful girl I've ever met, and I love her so intensely that I really feel I would be lost if she left me. By marrying her, I'm only making the commitment deeper. If she leaves me after we get married, it'll only be worse."

Seth nodded in understanding. "Dude, I know we're talking about you, but seriously, think about me for a minute," Ryan rolled his eyes. "I mean, don't get me wrong, Marissa is easy on the eyes, but she does not even hold a candle to the hotness that is Summer. And Summer is just the smartest, kindest, and most honest woman I have ever met. Every single time she touches me or kisses me or even talks to me for that matter, much less sleeps with me, I just feel like I never want the moment to end. Because I know in the next moment, she could completely change her mind about me and about us, and that is the most heartbreaking thing that could ever happen to me."

"Wow, man. New record. You let me talk about myself for 30 seconds before you interrupted to talk about you," Ryan deadpanned.

"Still not the funny one," he replied in a sing-songy voice.

"And by the way, Marissa is way prettier than Summer."

Seth snorted. "Seriously, dude?! Have you ever seen Summer? She is THE most smoking hot, gorgeous girl I have ever seen in real life. Marissa may be pretty, but she's way more commercial than Summer. Summer just has this exoticness, this flair in her eyes that makes her a complete and utter mystery. And believe me, it's a mystery I want to try to solve every day."

"That was the gayest thing I've ever heard you say."

"How is me talking about the hottest woman ever homosexual in the slightest?" Ryan threw a pillow at his head. "Dude, keep that shit away from the Jew fro."

"Marissa's hotter."

"Uh, no, sorry."

"Seth, seriously, Marissa could pass for a super model."

"And Summer could pass for the kind of girl you WISH were a porn star. But what's your point?"

"I can't believe I'm getting married."

"It's good thing, man. Congratulations, in case I am too preoccupied by the hotness of Summer to tell you later," he half-joked, handing Ryan a beer before popping his own open. "Seriously, though. I want to make a toast to you. You're my best friend and my brother. You're the only person that's had my back since the day that I met you. May you have many happy years of marriage."

Ryan reached his bottle to clink it with Seth's and took a long swig. "I know you're not getting married, but I want to make a toast to you, too. I don't think I would be here today if you didn't force me to get close to Marissa so that you could talk to Summer," the two laughed. "Thanks for everything, man. We've had some of the greatest years as brothers, and I hope there's many more to come. And I hope one day, you and Summer are able to be as happy together as me and my HOT almost-wife."

"I'll drink to that," Seth shrugged, and took a drink. "So, I gave Summer her ring back last night, and told her that I wasn't going to propose again."

"Really?" Ryan questioned, raising his eyebrows in curiosity. "And why would you do that?"

"Well, she, along with everyone who's ever met me, knows that I am completely, unwaveringly devoted to her, and that there is no one in the entire world I would rather spend the rest of my life with, so I figured, if she's the one that's holding the whole process up, why doesn't she be the one to make the decision when, or if, we get re-engaged?"

"I hope you put it to her in nicer terms than that."

"Well, of course I did. I mean, there was this whole long romantic speech thing and a lot of deep gazes into her eyes and a few soft kisses here and there, but I didn't really think that you would want to hear the whole story, so I tried to sum it up as best as I could. But what do you think about it?"

Ryan sat, pondering this for a moment before replying. "I guess I think it's a good idea. I mean, I don't know if people should necessarily wait around forever, but with you and Summer, it's kind of a 'special' deal. Judging by the few conversations I've had with her, you're not going to be waiting around that long anyway."

"Really?! What has she said to you? Why haven't you said anything to me before now about this?" Seth prodded, questions running out of his mouth a mile a minute.

"Whoa, chill, man. It was a private conversation, and if there was anything bad, I would tell you. But I've only heard good things so far, so I think it's best if I leave those things for her to tell you."

A small smile spread across his face. "She said good things about me, eh? Did she tell you how hot I am? Or how surprisingly built my naked figure is?"

Ryan turned towards him, emotionless, and punched him, giving him a dead arm. "Shut up."

"Dude! That was not even cool. What the hell?"

The blonde chuckled, semi-evilly. "That was pretty damn funny, though." The two brothers continued to sit, shooting the shit, and waiting for the older of the two to make his way to the altar that afternoon.

Summer was rushing down the hallway of the Four Seasons towards the ballroom. She had to assemble with Seth and the rest of the bridal party to begin their walk down the aisle at the start of the ceremony, but was slightly delayed when Marissa had a lingerie dilemma. As she neared the entrance to the ballroom, she stopped around the corner to smooth the creases that had formed in her hustle to be on time. Since Marissa wanted an "icicle" theme to mark the winter wedding, Summer was wearing a floor length antiqued silver strapless dress with a very small train, as though not to overshadow Marissa's. She had paired in with some Christian Loubotin pumps that she had, and wore her hair in lose waves, so that it hung about her bare shoulders.

As she took a deep breath and rounded the corner, white rose bouquet in hand, Seth had never seen her looking more stunning, and considering how many times he had seen her, that was quite a feat. He made eye contact with her and gave her a shy smile, which she happily returned and immediately began apologizing for her lack of punctuality. "With the entrance you just made, I don't think I would have noticed if you were an hour later," he flirted, offering her his arm and moving forward, so they could take their places at the front of the line.

Two of Ryan's friends who were serving as ushers opened the doors, and as the music started, Summer and Seth began their strut up the aisle. Both were consumed with strange feelings. The whole idea of walking up an aisle together in a wedding ceremony was more than just a little strange, considering their relationship and the previous talks of marriage they had engaged in.

As Summer looked to left, she couldn't help but notice her mom and dad seated on Marissa's side of the ballroom. When she made eye contact, despite what she had been feeling over the past few days, she couldn't help but smiling at them and giving a small wink to her dad. As she scanned the crowd to the right, she noticed the overjoyed face of Kirsten, who was already welling up with tears before the real ceremony had even begun. She looked up at Seth who was smiling down at her, and gave him the most beautiful smile she could muster. As she noticed a flash bulb from her peripheral vision, she had no doubt that the photographer had perfectly captured the intimacy of the moment for her and Seth.

As they reached the end of the aisle, they parted ways to stand at their respective sides of the altar, and Summer gave a smile and a small nod to Ryan, who she could tell was pretty nervous at the time. They watched as the rest of the bridal party filed down the aisle, and when everyone was in place and the string quartet began playing Pachebel's "Canon in D," the doors came open to reveal a beautiful Marissa. As everyone stared at her in awe, Seth put a hand on his brother's shoulder, half as a sign of approval and half as a comfort to let him know that he had his back.

Her gown was striking. It was a strapless, ivory-colored Vera Wang that Summer had helped her get while she was still working at Cosmo. The material bunched in the front and gathered to the side, and the train moved gracefully behind her as she walked down the aisle. Since Jimmy was missing in action these days, she walked by herself, but she moved with poise and kept eye contact with Ryan, whose face bore the look of the luckiest man alive.

When she reached the front of the ballroom, he moved to meet her, and couldn't stop him self from giving her a kiss on the cheek and whispering to tell her how beautiful she looked. The smile that crossed her face with those words, let everyone know exactly how she was feeling—exuberant.

Throughout the ceremony, Summer felt truly happy for the first time in a long time. She never thought that the wedding would be so emotional for her, but she didn't think she could have been any happier for two people than she was for her two best friends in the moment. She met Seth's gaze as Ryan and Marissa recited their vows, and she couldn't believe the amount of overwhelming love and desire that she found there. He made her feel not like a simple observer of the nuptials, but as the one who was actually taking part in them. She looked at him earnestly and mouthed the words, "I love you." The raw emotion in her eyes seemed to catch him slightly off guard, but the warmest smile spread across his face when he mouthed the words back.

When the wedding finally ended, everyone stayed around the ballroom, giving their congratulations to the bride, groom and their families, as well as just mingling with guests in the crowd. Summer broke away from her conversation with a few girls from high school, scanning the crowd until she found Seth, chatting with Owen off in a corner.

"Dude, the Evil Empress of Atomic County cannot be killed off by Kid Chino. She's Cosmo Girl's mom. It would ruin the whole dynamic we have going between the two leads, and potentially bring ruin to the whole storyline," Seth argued.

"Seth, seriously, it's perfect and—" Owen was cut off when he noticed Summer. "Well, hello there, pretty lady."

"Hi, Owen. You're looking pretty handsome today," she said, greeting him with a hug. "I didn't mean to interrupt this little geek conference, but I was hoping that I could borrow Seth for some official bridal party duties."

"Summer," Seth whined, "I am not posing for any other pictures until the reception. I already told you."

"That's not the business that I was talking about," she mumbled under her breath, subtly hinting with her eyes at exactly what she hand in mind.

"Oh, right," he exclaimed, instantly perking up. "Sorry, VP, but best man duty calls. Wouldn't want to ruin anything for the big reception, ya know?"

"Uh huh," Owen said, suspiciously eyeing Seth and Summer. "Well, I'll leave you two to it, then. I think I'm going to see what my chances are with one of Marissa's sorority sisters." He waved his goodbyes and made his way towards a flock of giggling blondes across the ballroom.

Summer didn't wait for another second before she grabbed Seth's hand and pulled him off towards the elevators. "Geez, woman. Why even bother going to the hotel room? There are bathrooms just down the hall."

"Don't tempt me," she replied in a low voice, flashing him her most sultry gaze.

"Summer, honey," a voice called from behind the two.

Summer turned around to see her parents, arm in arm, coming toward them. "Hey guys," she greeted, pulling her father into a hug, and trying to mask her disappointment in being interrupted from reaching her destination. "Mom," she said, giving a small smile, but not crossing the line towards physical contact. They all stood awkwardly for a moment, until Summer couldn't stand the tension. "I trust you remember Seth, mom."

"Of course! It's good to see you again, honey. You're looking well today," she replied, patting Seth on the arm.

"You too, ma'am. And Dr. Roberts. Always good to see you," he said, dispensing the usual pleasantries.

"So, how've you been, sweetie?" Dr. Roberts said, directing his gaze at his daughter.

"Oh, you know, pretty good. Just working on preparations for today. Beginning to think about my next move in terms of employment and moving back out to California."

"That's great! You know that if you need a place to stay while you're in between jobs and homes, the door is always open."

"I know, daddy. Thank you," she sighed and looked up to meet his gaze. "And I really do want to apologize to the both of you for everything that happened on Christmas. Dad, I was just really hurt that you were hiding something so monumental from me and that you didn't confront me by yourself first before dropping this huge bomb on me at the exact wrong moment," she diverted her gaze to her mother, "and Mom, I know I was a huge bitch on Christmas, and I'm sorry if I hurt you. Believe me, I've been waiting for over half of my life for you to come back, I just don't think I ever prepared for what it would be like if you actually did come back. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did, and I'm sorry. I hope we can have another chance to try to make things right in this family."

"Oh, honey," she cried, reaching out towards Summer and pulling her into a tight embrace. Though she was stiff at first, the younger woman relaxed into her mother's arms, and closed her eyes, trying to take the moment in without crying.

When they broke apart, Summer turned to her father and reached up, giving him a hug that she had been saving up for the past two weeks. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she whispered into his chest.

"No, baby, I'm sorry. I should've thought things out better, you're right. I'm just glad that you've forgiven us and have given us a new chance to make things better."

"You guys are about to make me cry," Seth said from a few feet away where he was standing. All three Roberts just gave him looks before simultaneously bursting into laughter.

"We didn't mean to interrupt you before. Where were you two headed anyway?" Dr. Roberts inquired.

"Oh, well, uh," Seth searched Summer's eyes, pleading for her to save him from this situation.

"We were just going upstairs to work on our speeches for the reception," she jumped in, desperately trying to stop him from rambling out any information that she would rather keep from her parents.

"Well, we'll leave you to it then," her mother said. "But we'll see you both at the reception right?"

"Of course," Seth replied. "And I'll even save a dance just for you," he added, pointing to Summer's mother.

Summer rolled her eyes. "We'll see you guys later," she waved while pushing Seth back toward the elevators.

As they waited, he couldn't help but ask, "Are we really just going upstairs to work on our speeches?"

She just smirked in reply. "If my speech contains repetition of the words 'Oh, God!' and 'Cohen!' then yes," she quipped, dragging him into the elevator that had arrived and crashing her lips into his upon noticing their privacy.

The reception had gone beautifully. Summer had delivered a tear-jerking speech to her best friend and the crowd, and Seth had actually managed to keep his rambling from completely embarrassing Ryan and his family in under seven minutes.

The night was now winding down. The last few songs were drifting through the air, and Ryan and Marissa were getting ready to make their way to the honeymoon suite that was awaiting them upstairs. They would leave on their honeymoon to Jamaica the following day, but today, they, along with the majority of the guests, would be staying in the Four Seasons.

Summer sat at a table close to the back of the ballroom. She had just said her goodbyes to her parents, and was actually feeling quite content without how things were for now. She knew that it would be an uphill journey towards totally reconnecting with her family, but with her mom staying in California for the time being and her dad having a newfound sparkle in his eye, she couldn't help but feel excited at the possibility of having a normal family for the first time since she could remember. Her reverie was interrupted by a smooth hand coming to rest on her bare shoulder. She looked up with a smile in her eyes and motioned to the seat that was pulled out next to hers.

"What's a girl like you doing, sitting here all alone?"

She didn't even have enough energy to roll her eyes at the comment. "You're such a goofball sometimes, you know that?"

"Goofball? What, are we in fifth grade now?" Seth teased back. Summer reached over to smack him, but he caught her hand, and placed it between his own. "You seem pretty happy tonight?"

"I am," she smiled, watching the guests and her newly married best friends out on the dance floor. "Thanks for what you said about my parents and everything earlier. I am really starting to like slash get used to the idea of having a semi-less dysfunctional family."

"I'm glad," he said, planting a small kiss on her knuckles. "I just want to say thank you for that thing you did in the hotel earlier. Where did you ever even learn how…?" he trailed off.

"Have you ever actually read Cosmo? It works wonders," she stated, matter-of-factly.

"If that's where you learned it, you have to keep reading. I mean, I know you got fired and all, but…damn."

She giggled at the fact that he could be SUCH a boy at times. "What do you say, Cohen?" she asked, taking him by the hand and standing up. "One last dance before we call it a night?"

"Well, if I must," he joked, following her as she led him toward the dance floor. When they got there, he spun her around dramatically, before pulling her to him and placing his hands on the small of her back. She reached up, almost on tiptoes, to wrap her arms around his neck and to fall into what she fondly referred to as her "nook."

"You want to marry me SO bad, don't you?" Summer said, looking up to meet Seth's eyes, which were clearly surprised at the question/assumption she had proceeded to make.

"Uh, well, I mean, what? Yes. You know that. What brought that on anyway?" he stuttered to get out.

"I was just thinking about this whole day, or almost month, whatever. I guess when I broke everything off, it was because I couldn't really believe that it was what you really wanted. But how you've been acting lately and the things you've said to me. And just the look in your eyes today during the ceremony. I just feel like I really understand your feelings for me now," she said softly, brushing her hand across his cheek and causing him to lean into her touch.

Seth sighed and nodded. "I mean, yes, I definitely want to marry you. Pretty much more than anything. Ever. I'm surprised it has taken you this long to really realize that, but if this is what it took. I'm just glad that you know now."

"I do," she whispered before giving him a soft kiss and pulling back. He kept his eyes closed for a moment and continued to sway with her to the music. "I have a surprise for you tomorrow night."

"What's that?" he said, his eyes snapping open to look questioningly into hers.

"Well, if I told you, it wouldn't really be a surprise, now would it?" she asked rhetorically.

"You know I hate when you do this to me," he grunted with frustration. She just nodded and gave him a sweet/evil grin. "If you want to surprise me, you can't tell me more than 24 hours in advance."

"Well, I just did. So you're just going to have to be patient, Mr. Cohen," she teased.

"Woman, after all the time I've spent with you, Patience should be my middle name."

"And unfortunately, your parents stuck you with the lovely moniker of Ezekiel."

"Funny," he stated sarcastically.

"I thought so," she laughed, mocking evident across all of her features. "Ya know, if you were nice, I was going to give you a little surprise tonight."

"Really?!"

"Oh yeah. Have you even seen page 95 of this month's Cosmo? It would have blown your mind."

Seth looked distraught at the prospect that he had blown his chances, but quickly tried to save himself. "What if I'm nothing BUT nice the rest of the night and agree to be your slave for 24 hours if you give me that page 95 surprise?"

Summer pondered his offer, dragging it out so as to torture him. "Ok," she nodded in agreement. She broke their contact and reached back for his hand to lead him from the dance floor. "But if there is even a mention of the surprise for tomorrow night, all bets are off."

He rapidly nodded his concurrence and followed her toward the exit. When they reached their suite, Summer fell back on the bed and yawned, closing her eyes. Seth went to the bathroom and came out sans the tie and jacket he had previously donned.

He took one look at Summer and realized their would be know page 95 that night, as he watched her chest rise and fall in a rhythm that indicated sleep. He walked over to the foot of the bed, and gently removed her pumps. He debated for awhile about whether or not to remove her dress and opted against it, as he could no longer stand to NOT be laying next to her. As his weight shifted the bed, Summer's body reacted by curling up into his side, and instinctively laying her head in the "nook." Seth smiled down and closed his eyes, as he began tracing circles on her shoulder.

He really couldn't wait to be married to Summer. He couldn't wait to know what it would be like to wake up beside her every morning, and fall asleep holding her every night. He wanted to see her every day, at her best and at her worst. He wanted to massage her back when he knew she had a tough day at work, or cook her dinner when she was running late from a busy meeting. He wanted to spend lazy Saturdays in bed with her all day. He wanted to see her be a mom. He wanted to see her big and pregnant, and angry as hell at him in the delivery room before popping out a little person that would represent the combination of him and her.

He wanted to support her, but he wanted her to support him, as well. He wanted her to cry to him, but sometimes, he wanted to be able to cry to her, too. He wanted to ramble to someone other than his cat, and he knew that she would be the only one who would ever listen to him, no mater how out there his speech sometimes got.

When he thought of the way she had looked at him in the eyes earlier that day, and how she had conveyed her love to him, he knew that soon enough, he would have all of those things. As he began to drift off to sleep with images of Summer swimming through his head, he felt genuinely happy.


End file.
